Storm Rising
by potionsmaster
Summary: Lt Cmdr John Shepard receives the posting of a lifetime. Little does he know what's in store, but it's always good to have friends to face it with. Part 1 of 'The Storm That Brought Me To You', prequel to 'Wish You Were Here'.
1. Orders, or That (Censored) VI

_**Storm Rising**_ , by potionsmaster

Rating: T for language

A/N: The beginning. Pre-relationship events that lead to _Wish You Were Here_. Part 1 of _The Storm that Brought Me to You_. Since it's my birthday, I thought I would post early. I don't know if I can keep up the pace for posting I did with WYWH, but I will definitely try!

* * *

 **Chapter 1:** _Orders, or That #! $)*%( & V.I._

" _Please log in to access your profile,_ " the smooth V.I. voice enunciated. John Shepard mockingly said the words along with the electronic vocalization as he keyed in his service number. 5923-AC-2826. The numbers were burned into his brain at this point, attached to him since he walked out of the Alliance recruitment office at age 18.

"A- _hem_..."

Shepard glanced over the top of the terminal and saw a stern look from the Alliance uniform on the other side of the desk. He snorted at himself, fighting a smirk.

"Sorry...habit."

The woman irritatedly nodded acknowledgement, then went back to her own console.

" _Access granted. Welcome, Lieutenant Commander John Shepard. You have new deployment orders standing by._ "

The Alliance grunt snapped a glance up again at that. Shepard studiously ignored her; he was used to the increased interest in him after people learned his identity, but that didn't mean he had to acknowledge or like it. Usually they were only interested in learning about Akuze or the Skyllian Blitz; exactly the things he did not like thinking about. A few actually went so far as to ask him about gang life on the streets of Boston. A hard stare while flipping his omni-blade open a few times usually stopped that line of questioning in its tracks. He opened the file and blinked rapidly, not quite comprehending the words displayed on the screen.

 _ **Assignment** : SSV Normandy – SR1 Class: Stealth Frigate prototype_

 _Maiden Voyage, subsequent missions until further notification, as approved by Alliance Council: Arcturus Station branch_

 _ **Mission Location** : Eden Prime _

_CO: CPT DANDERSON_

 _XO: LT CMD JSHEPARD_

 _CHHELM: FL LT JMOREAU_

 _CHNAV: CPRESSLY_

 _CHENG: LT GADAMS_

 _MDC: STF LT KALENKO_

 _CMO: DR KCHAKWAS_

The rest of the crew manifest blurred as Shepard quickly scanned the document for his deployment date and location. It barely registered he had to catch a cruiser tomorrow to the Alliance base at Arcturus Station; he was at the Rhode Island Newport base currently. He would meet the Normandy in dry dock and they would embark from there. He could hardly believe his luck...the _Normandy..._ She was already a legend and she had never been proven.

Capt Anderson had contacted Shepard a few times regarding a posting on a ship, but he hadn't seriously thought it would come to fruition. Older N7 soldiers tended to make a show of connecting with the younger, more recent N7 graduates as a matter of appearances as much as it was useful for networking. Shepard was glad to see Anderson wasn't that petty.

His eyes darted across the screen while he reread the assignment orders, paying more attention to the finer details this time. He only heard of a few of the officers he'd be serving with and had met Anderson on a couple of occasions. It would definitely be an interesting deployment, of that much he felt certain. He logged out quickly and started moving out the door to the barracks, keying up his omni-tool.

"Ted...?"

A shock of white hair filled the omni-vid screen as the N7 Fury removed the rebreather and hood, logo emblazoned on the chestplate of his armor.

"Johnny-boy! How's it hangin'?"

"Low and to the left, numbnuts. You'll never believe where I've just been assigned."

"Oh yeah? Let me guess...Nos Astra, in a brothel."

John scowled at him as he wound his way through the crowded building.

"Asari are more your thing than mine, short stack. What was her name? N'ivaeya?"

"N'iranya, chucklefuck. Don't talk about her like that."

"Alright, alright, calm down. Anyway, have you heard about a turian - human project involving a prototype stealth frigate?"

"...eee-yeahhhhh...the one that's supposed to have the biggest and best drive core out there? Tantalus, right? That thing is massive. I mean, who the hell would ever think it would fit in a frigate? Not to mention the logistics of the engine room. Talk about potential cramped workspace. I mean, _I_ might fit, but other people...pfffff."

"Ted..."

"What? I'm travel-sized for convenience. And the IES! Stuff of legends! I wonder how much lithium it took."

" _Ted_..."

"Too bad they couldn't figure out a way to activate stealth in FTL. Aww, the _blue shift_ alone -"

" _TED_!"

"What?"

"You're looking at the new XO."

Ted's whoop of excitement echoed in the hall while Shepard entered the barracks to pack; it was nice to be able to celebrate with a friend. Shepard tended to keep to himself, but somehow Ted had gotten past his barriers. They chatted excitedly while he packed, but Ted had to cut the call short with a grumble about the futility of escort and extraction missions in between promises to catch up when they both had the time. Shepard laughed and cut the feed as he leaned back in his bunk, arms behind his head. He ran his tongue along the edge of his canine. All he had to do now was wait.

* * *

Shepard fought the urge to crack his neck as he stood rigidly in the airlock, duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He had been travelling practically non-stop once he'd stepped on the cruiser. The ship had docked at Gagarin Station to drop off supplies and a few personnel, but the commander didn't have any time to explore. They were through the Charon Relay within a few hours and racing towards Arcturus.

Almost as soon as he'd gotten off the cruiser, he had checked in with command and was whisked away to the docking bay where Anderson had been waiting for him. Shepard had been stunned at the frigate up close; the Normandy was a small ship, but sleek and lithe as a cat. His heart pounded in anticipation when they entered the airlock. The captain stood next him, a looming force of quiet strength and will.

"Welcome aboard, Commander. You can drop your duffle in your locker on crew deck and claim a sleeper pod for yourself; the rest of the crew will accommodate your choice when they shift watch and hot bunk. Formal introduction will be in two hours -"

" _The commanding officer has the deck. Navigator Pressly stands relieved,_ " the V.I. interrupted smoothly. The airlock door slid open with a hiss and the two men strode purposefully onto the CIC towards the stern, past the orange glow of the heat load monitors. Nameless crew hands gave brief salutes when the officers passed by.

"Dammit, that's going to have to be reprogrammed...I think you have to log in to a terminal and the V. I. will initiate the protocol on its own," Anderson said while they rounded the galaxy map.

"Captain!"

"What is it, Pressly?"

"Joker's set the course to Eden Prime and just awaiting orders to initiate the launch," the balding man said as they came to a stop in front of him. Pressly snapped a crisp salute that Shepard returned.

"Pressly, this is our new XO, Commander Shepard," Anderson gestured to him while the navigator held out his hand. Shepard gave it a couple of strong pumps, then clasped his hands behind his back, face neutral. He didn't necessarily want to give off an unapproachable vibe, but conversely he didn't want to seem like a push over.

"Pleasure."

"Pleasure's all mine, sir. Welcome aboard. You'll never find a better ship or crew."

Shepard nodded while Anderson looked past Pressly.

"Damn well better be...hand-picked everyone on board myself. If you'll excuse us, Pressly, the commander needs to settle in a bit before he meets the rest of the crew. I'll be in engineering with Adams if you need me."

"Sir!" Pressly gave another salute and turned back to his terminal. Shepard raised his eyebrows at that, asking the silent question; Anderson nodded towards the sliding door down to crew deck and started moving again, trusting Shepard to follow.

"He knew I was done with him. Why bother wasting time saying 'dismissed'?" the captain answered, "You'll find what's important to enforce and what's a load of pretentious hooey." They made their way down the curved stairs and past the mess table.

"Your locker is on the right, in front of the med bay. Use the console on the left, next to my quarters. Grab some grub if you want, then I'll meet you back on the CIC in about an hour and a half for the formal meet and greet with the rest of the crew. It shouldn't take too long, then we'll launch."

They gave a small salute and nod to each other, then Anderson headed towards the elevator. Shepard slung his duffle on the ground in front of the only empty locker, typing in his service number to disengage the lock. 5923-AC-2826. He felt the weight of a curious pair of eyes on him from the mess table, but he ignored them. He paused a moment after stowing his gear, trying to decide if he truly cared which sleeper pod he wanted or if he would leave it to chance and figure it out later. The metal door slammed shut as he crossed the battery to the console, choosing the latter. He didn't figure it mattered terribly which pod he slept in.

" _Welcome to the Alliance Military Database. Classified information requested. Establishing secure connection...secure connection confirmed._ _Please log in to access your profile."_

Shepard fought the urge to mock the V.I. as he typed in his code once more: 5923-AC-2826. He was going to be dreaming of the numbers when he shut his eyes; he was already sick of how many times he had to enter the sequence today.

" _Connection established -_ "

He drummed his fingers impatiently on the console frame as the loading screen ran through the animations. It certainly was taking its time. He peered at the screen, watching the simulated files transfer, then paused. The file icon was turning red and pixelated.

"Aww, no, no, nonono, nooooo...why're you doing this..." he muttered darkly, fingers flying over the console's interface. He tried to salvage the data as the screen blinked red.

" _Warning: Data corruption detected._ "

"Damn..." Shepard tried backing out of the system to the initial log in screen, but it wouldn't stop looping.

" _Warning: Data corruption detected._ "

"Yeah, I heard you the first time."

" _Warning: Data corruption detected._ "

"That's nice. Go to hell."

" _Warning: Data corruption detected._ "

Shepard groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, willing it to stop.

" _Warning: Data corruption detected._ "

He heaved a sigh and started counting, trying to stay calm.

" _Warning: Data corruption detected._ "

….maybe counting to a higher number would help.

" _Warning: Data corruption detected_."

"Uh, pardon me, but would you like some help?" a husky voice said quietly. Shepard snapped his eyes open, looking at the source. Steel blue eyes met kind whiskey brown ones set in a strong face, jet black hair slicked back into a meticulous style.

" _Warning: Data corruption detected._ "

Shepard mentally shook himself and forced a tight smile on his face. The other man waited patiently.

"Sure, Staff Lieutenant..." the commander wracked his brains as he registered the rank designation on the man's fatigues, "...Alenko." He snapped his fingers as the name solidified in his mind.

"That's right," the brown eyed man smiled easily, "Surprised you know my name already."

"It's a little unusual; it stuck out to me on the manifest."

" _Warning: Data corruption detected_."

Shepard turned back to the console with a growl and keyed up his omni-tool, scrolling through his programs to find an appropriate one to shut down the console. The damn V.I. was frazzling his last nerve. The lieutenant huffed a small laugh.

"This console is always finicky," he said as he brought up his omni-tool, "It's never worked right."

"I thought this was a brand new ship," the commander said, taking a step back from the console and allowing the lieutenant to move in front of it. Alenko glanced at him briefly while he connected his omni-tool to the terminal. The flashing stopped and the file icon smoothed out.

"It is, but this one's been touchy ever since I came aboard a few weeks ago."

" _Warning: Data corruption detected. Please reconstruct profile._ "

"Here, Commander, I interrupted the feedback loop and forced it to the next step," he continued, "Unfortunately the AMD dumps corrupted data when it deals with sensitive information and there's no recovery of it. You'll have to piecemeal it into the Normandy's mainframe until we can get the backup, but it should do the trick for the moment." The dark-haired man stepped back and gestured for Shepard to move in front of the terminal again.

"My hero," Shepard said, "I'd've been lost without you just now." The words ' _Profile Reconstruction Required'_ scrolled across the top of the screen. He tapped the screen to begin as Alenko huffed another laugh.

"Anytime, Commander. Think you'll need me to stick around? Just in case?"

"Unless you have something better to do...I don't think the V.I. likes me too much. I might need backup again. You got my six in this?"

"Uh, yeah...I can spare a few minutes to make sure it doesn't go rogue on you."

Shepard snorted as the V. I. asked him to confirm his preservice history. He stole a glance at the lieutenant's face while he typed in his earthborn status and a concise explanation of growing up on the streets in a small gang in Boston. Alenko had a politely disinterested expression as he avoided looking at the screen. That amused the commander a bit; the pretense of privacy was an unexpected gift.

" _Please confirm psychological profile._ "

He looked at the dark-eyed man briefly again and their eyes met. Alenko gave him a smile that was as bright and empty as a lightbulb. Shepard typed a short paragraph about Akuze and losing his battalion to thresher maws in 2177, expecting some little quip or remark from the lieutenant. Still nothing from him.

" _Please confirm military specialization._ "

The lieutenant perked up at that. Shepard keyed in ' _N7 proficiency, Infiltrator. Prefers: snipers, assault rifles, pistols, technology attacks._ '

"What kind of attacks do you use?"

Shepard was nonchalant. "Oh, you know. The usual tricks...damping, overloads, sabotaging the heat sinks...nothing special. Why?" He frowned at the console; now it was asking him to confirm his facial identification. Alenko showed him where the camera was on the terminal as he replied.

"I wanted to find out more on overloading weapons; I'm familiar with decryption and how to sabotage already. I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve. I find myself doing a lot of crowd control for my marines; any tool I can use, I want to know."

Shepard accepted the picture of him and set it to his profile; he thought he looked like a deer in the headlights, but it couldn't be helped.

" _Profile reconstruction complete,_ " the V. I. stated silkily, " _Lieutenant Commander John Shepard logged as Executive Officer. Please confirm and log out._ "

"Ugh, finally," the commander felt like cheering once he terminated his session. Alenko snickered at that. "That's good to know. If you want training on it, I'm sure we can arrange something, Lieutenant." He faced the other man again and offered his hand.

"Call me 'Kaidan', sir." The dark-haired man grasped it warmly with a matching, easy smile. Shepard couldn't help grinning back; the lieutenant made him feel unusually comfortable.

"Shepard."

"Welcome aboard, Commander. Looking forward to serving under you."

"Thanks. Hopefully it will be a quiet ride."

"I'm sure it will be just a routine mission. I've got to head back and get my marines up to the CIC. It was a pleasure, sir. Anything I can do to help, just let me know." Kaidan broke off the strong handshake with another easy grin as Shepard nodded at him.

"See you around, Kaidan."

"You bet," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked away. The commander watched the muscular back retreat to the elevator. He was torn; he was happy and mildly disappointed all at once that the lieutenant didn't seem to be interested in his achievements and history. It was a pleasant surprise and he wondered if the other man either didn't know about him or just didn't recognize Shepard. Or maybe he did, and simply wasn't impressed.

The commander decided it didn't really matter; it was nice to be treated like everyone else. He made a mental note to try to talk to the lieutenant again a little later. Another friend wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. He headed back up the stairs to the CIC.

* * *

A/N: Much thanks and appreciation to AndyAO3 for letting me borrow Ted (he's an N7 Fury in this universe. Deal with it). I love playing with other people's toys, hehe. So here we go! The start of it all...


	2. The Party is Just Getting Started

_**Storm Rising**_ , by potionsmaster

Rating: T for language

A/N: Nothing to see here, Commander, absolutely nothing...

* * *

 **Chapter 2** : _The Party is Just Getting Started_

Kaidan was down in the cargo hold going through his equipment in his locker. One could never do too many checks and rechecks, after all. Jenkins and another marine were horsing around in front of the Mako, blowing off steam. Private Fredricks, he remembered dully as he checked the O2 scrubbers on his helmet. They both were young and brash, trying to prove themselves with bold words and the wish of bold action.

The lieutenant knew the Normandy was going to do a relay jump soon and felt better knowing his gear was in working order and stowed properly. He tried to ignore the marines in the background. They were incredibly loud while messing with the punching bag and free weights.

" _Dude_! Can you believe it? Fuckin' _Shepard_ is on board!"

Jenkins wasn't even using the bag; he was just swatting at it to make it swing and hoping it whacked Fredricks. The other marine ducked around it easily, smacking it to send it back.

"I heard Anderson had to beg him to sign on...what do you think, Kaidan?"

"It's 'Alenko' or 'Lieutenant' to you, Fredricks, and no. Anderson did not have to beg the commander. The captain was given a few dossiers to look over and chose Shepard." Kaidan didn't spare them another glance as he checked his mag-lock harnesses for his Onyx armor. What he didn't tell them was that Anderson had asked him for his opinion a few weeks ago when he had first come aboard.

* * *

"Tell me who you think you'd like to work with, Alenko. You'll be working closely with the new XO and I want to be sure you'll be compatible. Look these over and get back to me; I'll need to make arrangements for transporting them within the next few days." Anderson handed him the datapads and left him to it. Kaidan had been a little shocked at that; most of his other CO's listened to what he had to say but didn't seem to put much stock in it. He'd been in the Alliance for 10 years at this point and suspected that he had been given commendations instead of promotions on more than one occasion. He had been thrilled when Anderson himself pulled him aside and told him his new assignment to the Normandy.

Kaidan spent the next couple of days reading about the candidates and comparing them. Lt Cmdr John Shepard, N7 Infiltrator or Stf Cmdr Jane Sheffield, B6 Engineer. Both had been present at the Skyllian Blitz, no difference there. Shepard had survived the first known thresher maw attack on a human colony. The reports were terrifying: all the colonists had disappeared without a trace, and the battalion had no luck finding any sign of them. When night fell, the threshers had come from below. The morning light showed why there was no evidence of the colonists; the only reason the Alliance had knowledge of the thresher maws was because one lone soldier had been found on ridge overlooking the valley, acid splashed on his armor. Shepard's debrief notes were redacted and sealed, though.

Sheffield, on the other hand, had led the charge against the batarians on Torfan. She had won and proved herself with ruthless efficiency, pressing forward at the expense of most of her squadron. Kaidan had taken pause at that; he didn't really want to be any more expendable than a soldier already was. He had been further disgusted at the fact that she had personally executed the batarian slavers. Every last one of them. He didn't think the batarians should have been let go, but he didn't think they should have been shot in cold blood, either. Sheffield made him uncomfortable.

When Kaidan had turned in the datapads to Anderson again with his choice, he had expected to defend his decision and was ready with his explanation. The captain accepted it without question, though, not looking up from his console.

"Thank you, Alenko. I'll send word to the Council for approval and see that the commander's travel accommodations are arranged...was there something else?"

"...No, sir."

"Alright, son. Get yourself to the bridge; Joker could use some relief."

"Sir!"

Kaidan snapped a quick salute and made his way to the CIC, marveling at the circumstance. He had a feeling this tour would be unlike any other he'd ever had.

* * *

Fredricks was tossing a 15 lb medicine ball around while Jenkins was still shoving the punching bag. He liked Jenkins; he had served with him on his previous assignment and was happy the corporal had been afforded the same opportunity he had. Fredricks, on the other hand, he didn't know so well. He seemed like a blowhard, but Kaidan knew he wouldn't be on the ship if Anderson hadn't been impressed by something.

The medicine ball crashed into the work table beside the lockers, making the lieutenant whip around.

"Sorry, sir!"

Jenkins rushed forward to retrieve it, Fredricks smirking in the background. Kaidan scowled at them, holding it out for the corporal.

"Just be more careful; there're firearms around. We don't want any accidents."

"Yes, sir!" Jenkins said brightly, "It won't happen again."

Kaidan snorted at that.

"Sure, Jenkins...I'll believe that when I see it."

"It won't! Too bad I'm not biotic like you...I would've stopped it before it landed."

Fredricks scoffed.

"Biotics...that shit's for the birds. It's just fancy party tricks."

Kaidan felt his scowl deepen as he tucked his pistol back in his locker. Jenkins turned back towards the private, tossing the medicine ball in the air and catching it.

"Oh, not at all! You should _see_ Kaida – I mean, Lt Alenko – in the field! He glows blue and everything. It's so cool..."

Fredricks scoffed again. "I fail to see how glowing is scary. Best case scenario is he's a nightlight on crew deck."

Kaidan slammed his locker shut and faced the younger men, arms crossed.

"That's enough out of you. Don't push it, or you'll be on latrines for a week," he snapped.

Fredricks stifled an eye roll and snatched the medicine ball from Jenkins. "Sorry, sir," he said, managing not to sound the least bit apologetic. Kaidan rolled his lips inward, considering his next move. He heard the elevator moving in the background.

"Hey, LT...why don't you show him what you can do?" Jenkins' face was so sincere it was painful. Kaidan shook his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Yeah, it's not like he'd actually be able to do anything," Fredricks needled. Kaidan felt his eyes narrow. Jenkins looked between the two of them.

"It'll be fine! Just show him how you can throw something, or lift something."

The lieutenant heaved a sigh. "You're aware that we're in a starship, right? In space? Anything breaches the hull, we're in trouble," he pointed out. Jenkins practically pouted. Dr Chakwas stepped off the elevator then and waved at Kaidan as she made her way down the length of the cargo bay. He nodded at her, then focused back on the young men in front of him.

"What about me, then?"

"What about you?" Dr Chakwas stood next to Kaidan and looked at Jenkins. Kaidan glanced at the doctor.

"He wants me to do a biotic demonstration for Fredricks. I'm saying 'no'."

Dr Chakwas gave him a considering look. "I came down here to ask you a few questions, actually. I must admit, I'm curious to see the biotics in action. What's the harm? If you only lift him a few inches in the air, I shouldn't think it would damage any equipment."

Kaidan chewed on his bottom lip; this was highly irregular. Fredricks smirked at him, tossing the medicine ball from hand to hand. Jenkins had a grin on his face.

" _Do it_..." the corporal whispered. Kaidan exhaled sharply.

"This is a bad idea," he muttered as he unleashed a blue flare around himself, raising his right hand in front on him like he was winding up to pitch a baseball. Fredricks' eyes went wide as the energy crackled in the air. Dr Chakwas raised her eyebrows. Jenkins' grin got wider as Kaidan flicked a ball of cerulean miasma at him and deftly twisted his wrist, clenching his fist. The corporal was raised off the deck about a foot, face a giant 'O' in surprise.

"Whoa! This is kinda wild! Are you seeing this?!"

Fredricks feigned boredom as he moved towards the punching bag again, still tossing the medicine ball between his hands.

"Yeah, Jenkins. Like I said: party tricks. Nothin' special."

"This is nothing, though! I've seen him knock mercs down with it!" Jenkins protested, "Lift me higher, LT. Show him!" Kaidan shook his head slowly as he raised the corporal up another six inches.

"Perhaps that's high enough, Lieutenant...No need to be overly zealous because he thinks it's exciting," Dr Chakwas cautioned.

"Oh, I'm fine, Doc. Nothing's gonna happen."

"Famous last words, Corporal. If you're quite finished, I do need to borrow the lieutenant; I need to go over some field protocols with him." She started to head back to the elevator. A large crash reverberated through the cargo hold, followed by a muffled 'whump'.

"SHIT! Jenkins!"

"Oh my God! What did you do, Alenko?"

She whipped around to see Jenkins crumpled in a heap behind the Mako, the other two men crouched around him. She dashed towards them, the medicine ball rolling on the deck. Kaidan's dark eyes were panicked as he ran a scan over the the corporal's body with his omni-tool.

"Nothing's broken..." he reported as she knelt beside him, assessing the situation and pulling up his eyelids, shining a penlight in his pupils.

"What happened?" she demanded. Fredricks was pale as he explained; he had missed catching the ball again and it crashed into the lockers, distracting the lieutenant. Alenko had thrown Jenkins into the bulkhead when he snapped his head around to look at the noise. Jenkins' groaned and his eyes fluttered.

"Corporal, can you hear me? Are you alright?" she asked, tapping his cheek. The other two men backed off, giving them room. The elevator started moving again in the background.

"Mm'alright..." Jenkins muttered as he struggled to sit up. He shook his head as if to clear it, blinking rapidly. Dr Chakwas stood up, moving next to the lieutenant again. He had his arms crossed and his lips pursed. Jenkins shifted himself onto his hands and knees for a moment, getting his bearings. Fredricks clenched his jaw, no sarcastic comment for once. The corporal stood upright suddenly, throwing his arms in the arm like a boxer who just won a match.

"That was AWESOME!"

Dr Chakwas laughed and even the lieutenant chuckled, shaking his head. Fredricks eyed Alenko warily.

"Now that your curiosity has been satisfied, try to take more care not to startle the lieutenant. It wouldn't do to have to write up incident reports for sheer stupidity," she said. The elevator came to a stop and the door hissed open. They all looked towards the open lift and saw Shepard exit. He glanced at the four of them in the abrupt silence, confused. All talking had ceased when he had stepped on the deck.

"Hey...how's it going...?"

Kaidan noted the slightly guarded look on the XO's face relaxed a bit when he recognized the lieutenant. Shepard hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to anybody else since coming on board a few hours ago.

"Great, Commander! Can I just say it's an honor to meet you in person?" Jenkins immediately gushed.

"Noted, Corporal. Do...do I smell... _eezo_?" Shepard sniffed the air.

"I hadn't noticed anything, Commander," Dr Chakwas said, amusement in her voice. Kaidan fought a smile.

"Couldn't tell you, sir," he said. Shepard furrowed his brows.

"Hmm...I'll have to talk to engineering about that. Carry on," he said, making his way to the stern. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew! That was close," Jenkins said, stretching his back.

"I'll say..." Fredricks still looked a bit sick, "Remind me never to piss you off, Alenko...you're kinda scary, you know that?" Kaidan fixed him with a pointed stare. Dr Chakwas chuckled again to herself.

"If you boys are quite done, I still need to ask you those questions, Lieutenant..."

Kaidan nodded and followed her to the elevator.

"Hey Fredricks...latrine duty. Two weeks," he tossed over his shoulder. He heard the disgusted groan of resignation as the door slid shut. Dr Chakwas eyed him, small grin on her face.

"He's right, you know...Jenkins, I mean," she said as the elevator started its slow crawl up to crew deck.

"How's that?"

"That _was_ pretty awesome..."

Kaidan hadn't laughed that hard in a long time.

* * *

Shepard struggled to concentrate on the star maps in front of him; Pressly and Anderson were arguing the best route to take to pick up the final crew member. He had gone over the crew manifest several times at this point and everyone on board was accounted for. Anderson was being very tight lipped about it.

"I'm telling you, we need to hit the relay to the Exodus Cluster, _then_ move on to the Horse Head Nebula! Though I truly don't see why we can't just stop by Eden Prime on the way to the Nebula...seems like it would save fuel..." Pressly groused.

"And _I'm_ telling you that I need to pick up the last crew member before we can proceed with the shakedown. Since that means bypassing the location initially, so be it. Set course for the Fortuna System. We're picking up Nihlus Kryik on Amaranthine. Orders came down from the brass."

Anderson had a scowl firmly in place as Pressly shook his head. Shepard glanced between them, tired of the exchange. It seemed pretty clear to him; he didn't know why Pressly was resisting the route so much.

"I have a request, sir," he broke in. Anderson focused on Shepard, appreciative of the interruption.

"Go ahead."

"I'd like to take a squad planet-side, get a feel for how they work as a team. If we're going to head into possible combat, I'd prefer my unit acting cohesive before we get in the fray."

The captain stroked his chin, considering.

"Permission granted. You'll need to take the Mako to retrieve Kryik anyway; he's on a lone wolf assignment and there's no port." Anderson rifled through a stack of datapads, then handed one to Shepard. "We get periodic requests from the Alliance Geological Service to survey when we're planet-side. Whatever we find, we get a bounty from them. The surveys don't take long, and we can always use the extra funds."

Shepard glanced through the file. The AGS reported prospects of iridium, uranium, and thorium on Amaranthine. He handed it back to Anderson, skeptical.

"Are we responsible for actually mining the stuff? I don't think I've got the training for proper extraction. Or space on the ship for the ore..."

"No, Commander, you just need to find the deposit, identify it, then flag it. The beacons have transmitters attached to their ID numbers. Once activated, the AGS pings the beacon to confirm the find, then wires the credits automatically. They'll send teams of their own at later dates to collect it."

Pressly scoffed, shaking his head.

"Seems to be a waste of time to me. We're a stealth frigate, not a scientific discovery vessel. They should charter their own expeditions."

Anderson shot the navigator another scowl.

"This costs less on the AGS's part, and it increases the funds available to our ship. I don't want to hear another word about it." Pressly studiously buried himself in possible refuel routes and Anderson turned back to Shepard. "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up once we hit the Fortuna System; I suggest you use the travel time to catch up on some sleep."

Shepard nodded and headed to crew deck, listening to the helmsman verify initiation of the procedure to approach the relay. He wondered briefly if the lieutenant or corporal were on crew deck. He had a few hours before he needed to notify them but wanted to give them the heads up anyway. He briefly wondered what exactly they had been talking about in the cargo hold when he got off the elevator, but chalked it up to the fact that they weren't comfortable around him yet; new officers were seldom welcomed immediately into the fold.

He sighed as he made himself a cup of tea in the mess and wrinkled his nose at the sludge left over in the coffee pot. No way in hell would anybody ever catch him drinking it; he hated coffee with a vengeance. He considered dumping the offending muck down the sink, but chances were some of the crew would put up a fuss. It wasn't worth making potential enemies just yet.

"We meet again, Commander."

The owner of the distinctive husky voice appeared next to his elbow, pouring a cup of the impossible-to-save black liquid into mug. Shepard glanced at him, lifting an eyebrow. The lieutenant was stirring his coffee, shy smile on his lips.

"That we do. Got a moment?"

"I suppose. I'm on duty on the bridge in five, though."

"Oh, ok then. It's not important."

The lieutenant took a sip and held back a grimace. Shepard chuckled as he brought his own drink to his lips.

"That good, huh?"

"The absolute best...on the burner too long and a shade cooler than lukewarm. But it does the job."

The commander shook his head.

"That's vile. I dunno how you can drink that stuff."

Alenko huffed a small laugh as he stirred another spoonful of sugar into the mug.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Commander. You don't like coffee?"

"Call me Shepard. And no, I don't. It smells bad and tastes worse."

The lieutenant shifted, edging around the other man.

"You sure you don't want to try some of this delightful slop? It'll put hair on your chest while it dissolves your stomach lining."

"Hmmm...with a rousing endorsement like that, how can I refuse?" Shepard leaned against the counter and watched him make his way to the stairs. "Page me when we hit the Fortuna System, please, then meet me and Jenkins in cargo hold; we're going ground – side."

"You got it, Shepard."

Shepard shook his head, amused. He wouldn't mind running into the quirky lieutenant more often.

* * *

A/N: Budding friendship over awful coffee for the win.


	3. You Didn't Ask, So I Didn't Tell

_**Storm Rising**_ , by potionsmaster

Rating: T for language

A/N: Just a few more drabbles before getting to the hot and heavy...Eden Prime, you smut-junkies, what did you think I meant? ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 3** : _You Didn't Ask, So I Didn't Tell_

Shepard was not amused as he gathered up his shower supplies. His brow furrowed as he thought back to his first week on board and taking a squad ground-side. He had run them through a few drills when they got out of the tank to survey samples for the AGS. He wanted to see where potential problems would lie. Alenko and Jenkins worked well together, naturally falling into flanking positions while Shepard himself took point. Jenkins' only flaw was that he was too eager and his movements were a little jerky because of it. Alenko was cool, controlled, and smooth as he assessed the surroundings. He could work with it, he supposed; Jenkins would calm down once he got a few more expeditions under his belt.

Picking up Nihlus Kryik had been blessedly uneventful; the turian Spectre had been outside a seemingly abandoned outpost building, blending into the shadows of the shifting purple twilight of Amaranthine. They almost drove the Mako past him, if it weren't for Alenko spotting him while scouting from the cannon turret. That wasn't what bothered Shepard.

No, what was bothering him was the second survey they did a couple of days later.

* * *

Anderson had allowed a few hours for more geological surveying while they waited for Joker to discharge the Normandy's drive core over Xawin; he wanted to run some tests on the merits of atmospheric discharge versus ground-side discharge. Almost as soon as they hit the ground in the Mako, Shepard could tell the lieutenant wasn't operating at full capacity.

"Jenkins, take over the cannon. Alenko, move to the front seat...you doing ok?"

Kaidan moved sluggishly while Jenkins patted him on the shoulder. Shepard fought to keep the Mako as steady as he could on the icy surface. The harsh winds were battering the sides of the tank in gusts, making it more difficult than usual to keep it on its projected path.

"Yes, Commander, I -"

"HOLY CRAP!" Jenkins shouted into the comm lines as another gale buffeted the Mako, causing Shepard to wrench the steering column. Kaidan grabbed on to the affectionately labeled 'oh – shit' handle above the door.

"Jenkins, you have _really_ got to work on volume control, there, buddy..." Joker's voice crackled through their helmet comms, "You damn near blew out my earpiece up here."

"Sorry, sir! Won't happen agai – SHIT!"

" _Jenkins_!"

"Aw, c'mon, man... _inside voices_..."

Shepard and Joker reprimanded the young marine at the same time. More wind shoved the tank, causing them to lurch from side to side. Kaidan groaned quietly, pressing his free hand to the side of his helmet. The commander glanced at him, then quickly turned his attention back to the blizzard outside the windshield.

"Hang in there, LT...we're almost at the survey site, then we'll try to get you to med bay..." Shepard's voice was tight as he maneuvered the vehicle.

"That won't be necessary, sir. Just a little headache. It'll pass," came the weak protest. Shepard shot him a 'look', but it was wasted. The lieutenant wasn't looking at him and besides; the face masks from the rebreathers in the helmets blocked most expression. He didn't think it was 'just a little headache' by any stretch of the imagination; he doubted that Alenko would let a small amount pain almost incapacitate him. He exhaled noisily in exasperation.

"If you say so, Alenko..."

The on-board navigation V.I. flashed an indicator that they were within a klick of the palladium deposit. Shepard decelerated as gently as he could, not wanting to jar the lieutenant. Kaidan leaned back in the seat, avoiding looking at the pulsing arrow on the radar display. He was still clutching the handle like his life depended on it. Jenkins swung the turret around, scanning for any signs of life or danger. He was making gun noises to himself as he strafed the equipment from side to side. Shepard shook his head as he turned towards Alenko, engine idling.

"Tell me honestly, LT. Do you need to stay here while we get the sample?"

"No, sir, I'll be fine. No need to break fire team protocol."

"Ok...

" _Pew_ , _pew_ , _pew_! Gotcha..." Jenkins' voice broke in from the turret cockpit.

"Invisible dudes: 0. Bad-ass motherfucker in his head only: negative 9," Joker quipped through the comms. Jenkins simply laughed.

"You would do the same thing if you got to mess with the turret guns and you know it," the corporal amicably shot back.

"Don't need to; I got spinal mounted mass accelerator cannons. Boom. Owned," the helmsman retorted.

Shepard rolled his eyes as he cut the engine. He left the environmental controls and flood lights on with the hope that they'd be able to see what they were doing and not return to a frozen engine block.

"That's enough out of you two; Jenkins, get out of there and watch my nine. We got a job to do."

"Aye, Commander!"

The young marine hopped out of the turret cockpit and nearly had the Mako's door blown out of his grip when he opened the hatch. Alenko shook his head.

"Oh, the vigor of youth," he grumbled as the three of them spilled out into the snowy dusk, pistols at the ready. Shepard could barely see three feet in front of his visor, even with the Mako illuminating the surrounding gloom. He made a snap decision then.

"Alenko, put your hand on my shoulder. Jenkins, hand on the lieutenant's. I don't want any of us to get lost in this..."

Shepard felt a heavy weight settle on his right shoulder.

"Aye, aye, sir," came the strained response. Even though Kaidan was not even a meter behind him, he sounded miles away. The comms hissed and popped as the storm interfered with the signals.

"Aye. I think it's getting stronger, Commander," Jenkins said. His voice sounded tinny through Shepard's helmet while the wind howled around them.

"Well, all the more reason to get this over with quickly. Move out," Shepard shouted. They trudged through the snow, making slow progress. Even with his hardsuit sealed, the bite of the cold was seeping into his joints and making his movements stiff. The three of them awkwardly moved forward in the gale until the commander barked his shins on the rocky outcropping of palladium. He bit back a string of curses as the pain radiated in shockwaves up his legs. The stinging cold only exacerbated the sensation.

He pulled out the handheld AGS survey scanner and logged the boot-up sequence. The lieutenant's hand grasped his shoulder in an attempt to steady them both in the frigid blasts. The scanner couldn't do its thing fast enough for Shepard; he was 1000% done with this planet.

"How much longer, Commander? I think if we stay out here any longer, we'll be frozen solid!" Jenkins yelled against the roar of the wind. Alenko's gauntleted fingers dug into the kinetic padding between Shepard's pauldron and breastplate, trying not to break contact.

"Shouldn't be more than another minute!" he bellowed in response.

"Hardsuit readings are showing core body temperatures dropping. We only have about another five minutes before hypothermia and worse start to become a concern. Kinetic barriers can't take much more of the constant hits from the precip, and the charge packs are draining faster than usual. Sir..." Alenko's pinched voice crackled over the comm. The scanner finally beeped confirmation. Shepard was barely able to set the orange glowing beacon up when the storm intensified.

"So what's the bad news, Alenko?"

"...what?"

"Nothing. Ok, we got it! Move out!"

They all turned about-face and fought their way through the drifts, Alenko's hand on Jenkins' shoulder, Shepard's on the lieutenant's. The gale shrieked around them, whipping ice chunks and snow into all the crevices of their armors. The commander gripped Alenko's shoulder guard, noting it was much thinner and less bulky than his own. With a start, he realized Alenko was in light grade armor; no wonder he was feeling the impact of the weather.

Jenkins managed to trudge a path to the Mako without going too far astray. Once they were all safely inside, Shepard turned over the engine and a reassuring thrum resonated in the cabin. Alenko leaned tiredly against the seat, staring at the ceiling again. The commander shot him another worried look as he muscled the Mako around; according to the map, there was a steep drop close by and he was keen to avoid it. The blizzard constantly nudged the tank with brief periods of serious battering side-to-side.

"Joker...vector check for fire team one...are we on course?"

" _kksssshk_ \- mmander – interfer – _kkkssshhhhhh_ \- o you cop – _kkkssshhhhhhk_ ," came the fitful response through the comms.

"Well, that's just wonderful. Alenko, can you mess with the radar map? I gotta know where I'm going."

Shepard could feel his shoulders starting to ache from the tension. The lieutenant's hand was moving clumsily on the flashing display.

"As far as I can tell, Commander, we're heading in the right direction. The interference is lagging the signal, though, so the images aren't real-time." The words were clipped through the earpiece. Shepard could hear heavier breathing than normal from him, but couldn't spare a glance as the steering wheel almost wrenched itself out of his hands to the right. Jenkins was muttering to himself, clutching the turret. Alenko put a hand up to block the view of the radar map's blinking indicator, fumbling for his rucksack with the other.

"Hang in there, LT...we're going home. Fast as I can – FUCK!"

The Mako made a sickening lurch again and Shepard tried to hold it steady. The lieutenant started to frantically mess with his O2 hoses and helmet seals, popping the clasps with practiced fingers. The commander couldn't spare a glance at him as he fought the violent storm.

"Alenko...? What're you doing, man?" Jenkins sounded uncertain as the lieutenant pulled his helmet off and tossed it between his feet. He clutched at the rucksack, face pale. Shepard flicked his eyes over to him just in time to see him bury his head in the sack. Retching noises followed by coughing were muffled by the shrieking gale.

"Oh, _sheee – IT_!" Jenkins yelled.

"Keep it together, marine," Shepard barked at him, "It happens." The Mako lurched again and all three of them felt the floorboards tilt. Kaidan quickly grasped the handle above the door again, holding the rucksack closed.

"Sorry for that," he rasped, "I thought I could hold out until we were back on the ship..."

"You're going to med bay as soon as we clear re-pressurization and decontamination procedures if I have to carry you," Shepard ground out; the Mako was slowly sliding down the precipice and he wasn't sure how far down it went. He heard Jenkins swallowing heavily through the comms.

"So help me, if you puke in your helmet, Jenkins -"

He was interrupted by the corporal dry–heaving and resigned himself to a very unpleasant fate. The tank decided it was the opportune moment to lose all traction it had and nosedive off the side of the cliff. Shepard activated the eezo booster to try to level the Mako, but they still landed with a jolt. Jenkins almost managed to get his helmet off completely, but couldn't quite clear his rebreather. Shepard grimaced as he heard the aftermath. At least the cliff side was giving them a small respite from the wind and weather.

"-is SSV Normandy SR1 to Mako M35, first string fire squad! You have gone off projected course. Requesting confirmation. Commander, do you copy?"

Joker's voice was strained and unusually formal. Alenko huffed a small laugh as Shepard thumbed the comm button on the dashboard; the only thing that would make the helmsman do that was Captain Anderson standing over his shoulder.

"We copy, Joker. Requesting a pick up; hazards too dangerous to continue surveying objectives. We have sick crew on board as well."

"Sorry, Commander, no-can-do at the moment. We're still a half hour away from completion on the discharge...Do I need to have the doc do a meet and greet in the hangar bay? What kind of 'sick' are we talkin' about?" The pilot's voice was a strange mixture of relief and regret. Shepard exhaled noisily.

"Doesn't really matter if you can't get us out of here, does it? Just a couple of upset tummies; I don't think the interactive guided tour of the planet agreed with them."

"We'll need the inside of the Mako detailed, Joker. Alert whoever's on latrine duty today after we get back," Alenko rasped, breaking into the conversation. He had pulled his radio transmitter from his helmet and was holding it close to his mouth, eyes screwed shut.

"Eesh...sounds, uh...messy..." Joker said cautiously. Shepard gazed at the lieutenant, noting the knitted brows and sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Not as bad as it could have been. Hail us on the comm when you're done with the drive core; we're not going anywhere soon. I'm going to end transmission for the moment; save power that way."

"Aye, aye, Commander. Joker out."

They sat in silence, listening to the wind groan around them. Alenko dimmed the cabin lights after a brief moment, then whispered, "Sorry, sir...I should have asked permission first."

"It's alright. It helps conserve the battery; I should have thought of it myself."

Jenkins simply sat there in the turret cockpit, still looking green. Shepard couldn't help thinking there was no way in hell he was taking off his helmet as the minutes ticked down; he was taking shallow breaths as it was to try to prevent his own guts from heaving. By the time they actually got back on board the Normandy and vacated the Mako, the corporal seemed to have recovered some of his usual enthusiasm as he demonstrated for Fredricks how the tank was being knocked around. Alenko moved with a deliberate, exacting manner, careful not to do anything that might jar his head. Shepard tossed the used rucksack into the laundry for him while the lieutenant kitted down.

"Leave the armor; I can clean and stow it for you," he said, coming back from the laundry drop. The dark haired man lifted an eyebrow at that, under-armor hugging his torso as he continued to shuck the ablative ceramic plates enclosing his legs.

"That won't be necessary, sir. Jenkins is acting master at arms; he'll take care of it."

"At least let me walk you to med bay; that way I'll know for certain that you actually get checked out," Shepard protested, tucking his helmet beneath his arm. He was still fully suited up. Alenko gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

"If you insist, Commander," Alenko replied, placing his armor carefully on the work bench next to the lockers. They headed towards the elevator.

"I do. Besides, I was headed up there anyway. Though I might start storing my hardsuit down here if we have room; I can already tell it's going to be a pain in the ass to get my gear serviced if I have to wait for the elevator..."

Alenko chuckled thinly as the door closed and the lift started the snail crawl up to crew deck. They rode in silence for a minute, then Shepard continued.

"Speaking of armor, I noticed you were in lightweight gear. That probably wasn't the best choice for a hazard planet. Do you have anything with a little more heft to it?"

"No, sir. I don't have enough training to utilize the heavier classes of armor. I make it work, though."

"Hmm...we'll need to work on that. I think if you had a greater damage threshold and thicker plates, the cold wouldn't have been as big an issue."

"Perhaps, Commander."

The elevator door slid open and they stepped onto the crew deck, turning left to head to med bay. Shepard furrowed his brow at the title.

"Call me Shepard," he said as they entered the dark room. Dr Chakwas looked up expectantly from her desk.

"Ah, Lieutenant...I hear we're having some issues. Same as usual?" Kaidan nodded. Dr Chakwas pursed her lips, and said, "Commander, I must ask you to leave. I need to discuss some things with my patient."

"He can stay; he's gotta know at some point."

The lieutenant rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. Shepard leaned against an unoccupied bed, glancing between the two of them. The doctor gave him a dubious look as she prepared another. She gestured for Kaidan to sit on it.

"Alright, if you say so. What symptoms are you experiencing?"

"Sensitivity to lights, particularly flashing or blinking ones. Throbbing in the base of my cranium, nausea-"

"It's a little beyond nausea at this point; you actually threw up," Shepard interrupted. Dr Chakwas ignored him while she prepped a trans-dermal injection gun. Kaidan started peeling off his under-armor, muscles rippling. It clung damply to his skin from sweat.

"I was getting to that. Also, lightheadedness."

"Any auras to speak of?" Dr Chakwas wiped the lieutenant's bicep with an alcohol swab. He watched passively as the injection gun deployed, forcing the micro-droplets of medication through his skin.

"Not this time. I think I just need to let the pain killer try to take effect and ride it out in here. I need to change completely, though..."

"Your spare sleep set is in the cubby. The commander and I will give you privacy. I'll alert the captain that you're off duty until further notice," she said, motioning Shepard towards the door. Kaidan rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Thanks, Shepard...I appreciate you looking after me."

"Not a problem, LT," the commander said, tossing a glance at him over his shoulder. The lieutenant had slithered off the table and was holding pajama pants and an Alliance t-shirt.

"Oh, Doc? He can have full disclosure on me...if he has any questions he needs answered."

"Noted, Lieutenant. That's very generous of you," she said as they exited the med bay. Shepard waved her to follow him to his locker.

"So what was all that about?" he asked. He tossed his helmet into the bottom of his locker and started removing the ceramic plates. Dr Chakwas leaned against the lockers, looking around crew deck to make sure they were alone. Once satisfied, she turned her attention back to the commander.

"Kaidan gets migraines. Weather can be a trigger for him, as can strobing lights."

"...we live in a starship. The whole thing is one, big, flashing light. Does this happen to him often?"

"It happens often enough so it's not unusual, but not frequently enough to be called 'common'. It usually depends on the environmental factors and stress levels he's under. We'll have to see if the triggers change over time."

"You don't know?" He watched her as he pulled his fatigues on; there was a distinct lack of privacy to changing in the open, he decided. Dr Chakwas carefully kept her eyes on his face while they talked.

"No, Commander. I've never worked with him before this mission. Tends to keep to himself, though...maybe because of the headaches."

Shepard closed his locker with a metallic clank, looking past her to the med bay. She stood up.

"Thanks for the information, Doctor. I'll be on the lookout for it."

"Anything else I can help you with, Commander?"

"Not at the moment. Thanks again."

"Anytime, Shepard." She walked back to med bay and he stood there, debating which terminal to log on to; he needed to write up the mission report and was leery of the one outside Capt Anderson's quarters. He headed up to the CIC; he didn't want to risk possible data corruption again. Especially if he didn't have back up against it for the moment.

* * *

Shepard sighed as he tossed his towel over his shoulder and headed towards the men's bathrooms. He noticed in the few days after the Mako incident the lieutenant had made himself scarce, which only added to his agitation at the whole scenario. Ah well. At least Jenkins was none the worse for wear in the whole ordeal. He was currently dogging Nihilus' footsteps, who coincidentally was never far from Shepard himself. It made the commander a little wary of his surroundings; there really wasn't any place he could get away from the turian for very long.

Just about the only time he had to himself anymore was when he was in the showers, and even then it depended on time of day. At the moment, the bathroom was fortunately empty. He suspected it was mostly because it was 0030 dark per ship time, and either the crew was sleeping or on duty and trying not to sleep. The water was just a shade too hot as Shepard stepped under the shower head, draping his towel over the half wall between stalls. He tilted his head back, letting it run down his neck and chest, relaxing as it beat a small rhythm over his muscles.

Shepard had to laugh at the whole set up; the Normandy was a beautiful ship, but square footage was at a premium. The kitchen for the mess was severely lacking with only a hotplate, a microwave, a coffee maker, and a water dispenser that did both hot and cold water. It was possible to cook in it, but it took more determination than it was worth. At least the refrigerator had fruit and vegetables some of the time. The bathrooms were even more stark. Three toilets with a half wall between them for a modicum of privacy, but no door; same with the shower stalls. The commander felt a little vulnerable with his bare backside to the room's entrance, but he supposed it was better than facing the mirrors above the sinks while sitting on the can. At least the urinals were like they were on Earth.

Suds ran down his chest and neck as he rinsed his hair, eyes scrunched shut. Shepard blew air out his nose while he ducked under the spray. He heard the door open while he groped for his towel. He absolutely hated water on his face; even more so when it got in his eyes. The rough cloth met his hand and he quickly swiped the moisture from his face, trying to act nonchalant. He glanced behind him as he tried to put the towel back. Alenko had come in with his own shower gear, towel slung carelessly over his shoulder.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't think anybody was in here...I-I can come back," he stammered. Shepard smirked at him, then turned back to the shower, dog tags channeling the rivulets over his taut stomach.

"It's fine, LT. I'm almost done, besides."

He heard Alenko set his gear down in the farthest stall and saw him slowly unbutton his fatigues out of his peripheral vision. Shepard lathered himself all over and glanced at the lieutenant again. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Alenko's eyes flick over his body quickly. The lieutenant caught his eyes again.

"How's your head? Doing any better?"

"Much better, Commander...just a little lingering fatigue, but I'm good."

"Glad to hear it..." Shepard found soap behind his ears that he had missed the first time around and pursed his lips; he really didn't want to put his head back under the water, but there was no other option. He took a deep breath to steel his nerves, then pushed his face back under the deluge. He tried not to splutter as he screwed his eyes shut. Water drops pelted his face. He took shallow breaths through his mouth, not wanting to risk inhaling the water that dripped down his nose. He blindly felt around for his towel once more, hands patting the stall walls around him.

"How about yourself, sir? How are you, uh...actually, _what_ are you doing?"

Shepard knew he had a weird look on his face as his nose and eyes were scrunched up again. The damn water found a way to get into the corners of his eyes and it was aggravating. He slapped at the shower spigots, trying to turn them off. He could have sworn he put his towel over the wall, too, but it wasn't there...

"I, uh...I got water in my eyes. Not my favorite thing in the world. Do you know where my towel is?" he said in clipped tones, still groping for his wayward towel. Alenko cleared his throat.

"It fell down. Do you need me to get you something?"

Shepard braced his arms against the tiled wall in front of him, trying not to panic. He blew long breaths out through his mouth, trying and failing to open his eyes.

"Either another towel or a washcloth would be great; then I could see what I was doing..." he replied, pleased that his voice sounded steady. He heard Alenko shuffle closer and the rustle of cloth.

"Hmm...here, use my washcloth. I can get another."

"I can't see if you're holding it out or not." It sounded petulant, even to him. Alenko huffed a small laugh, then placed the square of terrycloth in his hand. He gratefully snatched at it and immediately rubbed his eyes with it. When he was able to see again, he saw the lieutenant was looking at him in a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

"I...don't like water on my face," he said hesitantly. Alenko quirked a heavy brow at him.

"Was it soap in your eyes, or just...dislike of water in general?"

Shepard finished mopping off his face, then draped the washcloth over the half wall. He noticed his towel had slid onto the other side on the floor. He noted with some interest that Alenko was studiously avoiding looking down.

"Water in general. I dunno if my eyes are just sensitive or what, but it's always bothered me."

"Who'd've thunk it: Commander Shepard, N7 and incapped by someone flicking water at him. It's not very common knowledge."

"Nobody ever asks about it. Speaking of common knowledge, when were you going to tell me you were handicapped?"

Alenko heaved a sigh, turning back to his own gear. His ears were tinged with a slight blush. Shepard thought it was amusing that whenever he seemed to run into the lieutenant, the other man was shirtless.

"Well, you didn't ask, either, so I didn't tell. I wasn't sure if it was apparent or not by my actions. But it is something you should be aware of."

Shepard nodded as he retrieved his towel and knotted it securely around his waist. Alenko was out of his fatigues at this point and started the shower in his stall. His face was lax as he stood under the cascade.

"I'll try to keep an eye out for it. Be sure to let me know if you feel one coming on, huh? We'll work around it."

"I appreciate it, Shepard. You don't have to worry about me; I'll be fine. I'm fit for duty right now, and will be when we drop on Eden Prime."

Shepard half registered what the other man was saying; he was enchanted by watching the runnels of water play down the lieutenant's spine. He shook his head, trying to clear it. He needed to hit the sack if he was getting distracted like that. He almost missed the questions Alenko asked.

"- foresee any potential difficulties with ground motility? And what're we doing there, exactly? More geology surveys?"

"As far as I know, Eden Prime should be a cakewalk compared to Xawin; it should be just another routine mission." He busied himself by changing into his pajama pants and undershirt. "As for the mission itself, probably some diplomatic escort or other; why would Nihlus be on board otherwise?"

"Famous last words, Shepard," the other man joked. The commander snorted while he packed his shower gear.

"Aren't they always, Kaidan? See you around..." He left the bathroom to the sound of gentle laughter.

"See you, Commander." Shepard smiled to himself. It was the first conversation they had where the lieutenant had stopped using rank and titles consistently. He hoped that was a good sign.

* * *

A/N: Whoosh! That was a doozy of a chapter, lol. The plot thickens...


	4. The 'L' stands for 'Leroy'

_**Storm Rising**_ , by potionsmaster

Rating: T for language

A/N: More routine missions. Yes, I know the game has them go through the Arcturus Prime relay in the beginning, but I already messed with canon to get them on missions before Eden Prime. Deal with it.

* * *

 **Chapter 4** : _The L stands for 'Leroy'_

Kaidan felt a little tense as he sat in the copilot's chair on the bridge. He had training to fly shuttles, but a frigate? He supposed he knew enough to make it work, but it wouldn't be pretty if he were the only one left to land the thing. He shoved the thought to the side, trying to concentrate on the upcoming relay jump.

"Hey, did you see Shepard was already suited up?"

Joker didn't take his eyes off his flashing screens when he interrupted the lieutenant's thoughts. Kaidan rolled his lips inwards as he thought; he had run into the commander earlier that morning in the showers, then again later in the mess around breakfast. Shepard had been in his BDU's at the time.

"No, but I'm not surprised. He seems like the type to be prepared for anything. Nihlus is in his armor, too."

"Yeah, but he's _always_ in his armor. It's like he's afraid someone's going to attack him while he's on board."

"Maybe, but he didn't really have an overnight bag packed when we picked him up. I wonder what he does with the under-armor."

"Your captain had the foresight to have a few provisions already on board for me. My under-armor has been adequately taken care of," came a quiet, strange voice from behind them. The turian had managed to sneak up behind them. Kaidan threw a guilty look over his shoulder at Nihlus. Joker kept his head straight ahead, eyes wide.

"Sorry, sir...we were unsure if we were able to provide proper hospitality to you on such short notice," Kaidan said, wanting to smooth over a potential issue. Nihlus didn't seem perturbed by it, though.

"It had already been attended to, Lieutenant. Thank you for your concern. Captain Anderson requested me to give the order: begin the relay approach." The turian folded his arms across his chest. Joker scowled.

"Initiating transmission sequence. We are connected...calculating transit mass and destination. Relay is hot, acquiring approach vector. All stations, secure for transit. Board is green, approach run has begun."

Footsteps made Kaidan glance over his shoulder again. Commander Shepard was indeed already in his hard-suit, the blood red stripe down his right arm gleaming in the ambient light. He had his brow furrowed as he gazed out the window, determined look on his face. Kaidan wondered if he knew something the rest of the crew didn't.

"Hitting the relay in 3...2...1 -"

Kaidan felt himself get slightly pressed back in his seat as the Normandy was catapulted into the next system, the stars in the observation windows becoming distorted by the shift. He turned his attention back to the monitors in front of him, tracking the emissions and energy input/output gauges.

"Thrusters – check. Navigation – check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online...drift...just under 1500 k..." Joker reported, still not looking back. Kaidan kept his focus on his monitors, noting the energy surge from hitting the mass relay was receding. He barely registered the commander approaching the cockpit.

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased," Nihlus said before walking away.

"I hate that guy..." the pilot grumbled. Kaidan fought not to roll his eyes.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment. So...you hate him."

"You remember to zip up your jump suit after the bathroom..." Kaidan tuned Joker's ranting out as he saw Shepard move into parade rest behind Joker's chair, watching the expanse of stars. The helmsman was always a little touchy when he had people looking over his shoulder. He could sympathize; nobody enjoyed being babysat.

"...Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like havin' him on board. Call me paranoid," Joker finished his griping.

"You're paranoid," the lieutenant shot back, "the council helped fund this project; they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment." He thought he heard the commander suppress a snort at the 'paranoid' comment.

"Yep, that is the _official_ story. Only an idiot believes the official story."

"You always expect the worst..." Shepard broke in. Kaidan stole a glance at him. Joker scowled at his monitors.

"Occupational hazard," he grumped. "Something's up, I swear. I've never been on a shakedown that was this fully staffed. I mean, I know the Normandy is a special case -"

"Joker! Status report!" Anderson's voice barked through the comms.

"Just cleared the relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged, everything looks solid."

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass _before_ we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir; I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." Anderson's tone had a bite to it as he signed off abruptly.

Joker shook his head. "You get that, Commander?"

"Yeah, I heard. I'm on my way..." Shepard tossed over his shoulder, striding down to the CIC.

"Is it me, or does the captain always sound angry?" the pilot shook his head again as he pinged the nearest satellite.

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker. Can't possibly imagine why..." Kaidan lifted an eyebrow at the other man, voice dripping in sarcasm.

"Oh, har har," Joker grumbled, actually looking at the lieutenant this time. Kaidan laughed at the dirty look he got. "You're so funny, your face."

"My face what?"

"Just 'your face'."

"What?" Kaidan guffawed, "That doesn't even begin to make sense!" He watched the notification of the comm buoy link flicker, then flash steadily as the signal grew.

"Your face doesn't make sense? Might wanna see Chakwas about that..." Joker said smugly, "How did your mother stand looking at you growing up, then?"

Kaidan rolled his eyes as he confirmed connection to the buoy.

"I'm fuckin' gorgeous, I'll have you know...you should be so lucky to – wait a minute...stand by..." The consoles chirped in front of him and Joker, signaling an incoming transmission. Joker acknowledged it and a vid popped up. Gunfire immediately sounded while a helmet cam's shaky image bloomed on the main screen, a marine shoving whoever had the helmet cam to the ground.

" _We are under attack, taking heavy casualties! I repeat, heavy casualties! We can't – eed an evac!"_

More explosions and gunfire as soldiers dropped on screen. Kaidan felt the blood drain from his face.

" _They came out of nowhere! We need -!"_ the speaker fell backwards, dead. An unidentifiable giant ship appeared on the screen, strange appendages flexing on the bow of it. Kaidan shuddered; it almost looked like a metallic hand or some kind of sea creature from the deep.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shitshitshit, shit..." Joker whispered, keying up the comm room in his headset, "Captain. We got a problem...Transmission from Eden Prime, sir! You better see this..." He hit a few buttons and set the vid to play in the comm room. Kaidan thumbed the 'all-call' over the comm line.

"Marines, stand by for further instruction. All crew, battle stations! This is not a drill, repeat, not a drill. Be at the ready!" the lieutenant snapped, then cut the page. The CIC burst into a flurry of activity.

"Everything cuts out after that, no comm traffic at all...just goes dead," Joker said earnestly into his mouthpiece. Kaidan hurriedly logged out of the copilot terminal. Shepard was marching up from the CIC, long legs eating up the distance. Jenkins was close on his heels, trying not to look excited and failing horribly. He stopped halfway to the bridge.

"Alenko, with me! We're going ground-side. Double time, soldier!" Shepard said brusquely, jerking his head towards the stern. His brow was furrowed in determination.

"Aye, aye, Commander, on your orders," Kaidan jogged to catch up, then fell into stride with the two men. Jenkins was practically buzzing with anticipation in the elevator down to cargo bay. Shepard debriefed them as the lift crawled.

"Scuttlebutt was correct; this is more than just a shakedown. A Prothean beacon was uncovered on Eden Prime and we need to secure it. Once it's in our possession, the Normandy will transport it back to the Citadel."

The commander's voice was terse. He rolled his neck as the elevator hit the deck. Jenkins raised his hand, bouncing on his toes. Kaidan bit his cheek in amusement at the enthusiasm; it was like watching a little kid.

"Is Nihlus coming with us? I saw him leave the comm room before you and he was hustling."

Shepard pursed his lips, impatient for the door to open. As soon as the familiar hiss sounded, he was through the opening.

"He'll be on the ground with us, but I can't say for certain if he'll be in the squad or not. Kit up."

Kaidan was working on the clasps to his shirt as he made his way to his locker. Shepard stood by the work bench, checking his weapon load out. He looked on edge.

"Everything alright, Commander?" the lieutenant said softly. His under-armor was like a second skin as he slithered into it. Shepard spared a glance towards him, fumbling with his pistol for a brief moment. Kaidan didn't say anything as he locked his greaves in place. The commander craned his neck, looking for his other squad member. Jenkins was on the opposite side of the cargo bay; his locker was behind the Mako.

"That's not the only thing that's going on, LT...Nihlus is here to evaluate me," Shepard muttered. Kaidan leaned closer, fixing his mag-lock harnesses to his chest and back plates.

"Oh?"

"He put my name forward as a Spectre candidate."

"Congratulations! Is that why he's been tailing you on board?" Kaidan worked his gauntlets on, making sure he could activate his omni-tool over it.

Shepard holstered his pistol and exhaled noisily, leaning against the work bench. The elevator moved in the background.

"You noticed that, huh? Yeah..."

Jenkins came over at that point, helmet already on.

"Thank god we don't need rebreathers...Mine still smells funny after the last mission," he said, eyes bright. "I wonder if we'll run into anybody I know."

The elevator opened to reveal Anderson and Nihlus. Kaidan checked his omni-tool once again, more out of habit than anything else. Shepard pulled his headset from his helmet and fixed it in his ear.

"Temps on the ground are a little hot for helmets," he said, "Kinetic barriers should take care of anything; just make sure your charge packs are working. Stealth is the name of the game, gentlemen, and cover is your friend. Wait for my mark and we should be fine."

Kaidan gazed at the commander, excitement coursing through him. He could admit to himself that he was anxious to see Shepard in actual combat; supposedly the man was like a ghost. The enemy barely knew he was there. Nihlus' stark white colony markings stood out against his dark armor as he and Anderson approached, grim looks on their faces. The turian had added red tribal markings over the white, looking like blood on bone. Kaidan was impressed by it; he remembered being intimidated by similar ones at Jump Zero. They reminded him of skulls.

The parallel between Nihlus' colony markings and Shepard's N7 delineations was not lost on him. He wondered if the turian was going to be teaching his XO how to be a Spectre or simply observe and report to the Council. Shepard certainly had the collected confidence that Nihlus did, and seemed to have the quiet determination as well. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his head and focused on the captain. He couldn't afford to let his thoughts drift.

* * *

" _This place got hit hard, Commander. Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up._ "

Shepard's stomach was in knots at Nihlus' words in his earpiece. The second they hit the ground, Jenkins had gone pale. His home planet was in chaos: fields were burning, no colonists to speak of, an eerie quiet lingering in the opressive heat.

"Oh god," he whispered, "What happened...?"

"Smells like smoke and death," came the lieutenant's quiet answer, his dark eyes darting around. Shepard could have hit him upside the head for that; Jenkins swallowed hard and his assault rifle wavered slightly as he peered around. The commander caught Alenko's eye and gave him a hard stare. The lieutenant winced in return, an almost imperceptible nod for an apology. They moved down the path and a lumpy, white thing floated by.

"What the hell are those?!" Alenko said, alarm evident in his voice. Jenkins chuckled thinly as he replied.

"A gasbag. Don't worry, they're harmless...watch." He shot one and it popped, remnants of it fluttering to the ground like morbid confetti.

" _Damn!_ " the lieutenant swore, "was that really necessary?"

Shepard scowled at Jenkins. "Don't waste your shots," he snapped. "You just gave away our position."

"Sorry, sir..."

The corporal was chagrined into uneasy silence again while the squad moved forward on the path. Shepard crouched behind a rock, straining to see up the trail. The other two followed suit quietly. The commander glanced behind him and caught Jenkins' eye, signaling him forward. Alenko plastered himself to another rocky outcropping, looking over his left shoulder and pistol at the ready.

Jenkins hunched over his assault rifle, gliding up the path as he swept for signs of enemies. Shepard was about to give Alenko the all-clear when his attention was snapped back to the corporal's cries of pain. The corporal's body hit the ground with a sickening thud, assault rifle skidding away from the limp hands.

Shepard pulled out his sniper, squinting through the scope in time to see three floating robot drones firing energy blasts. Sound faded away to static in his head as he blew out his breath and held it, dialing in on his target.

 _FWOOMP!_

He felt his ears pop and a blue shimmer in the corner of his left eye as he squeezed the trigger. The sharp report of his rifle and the ensuing shower of sparks from the drone weren't enough to keep him from glancing left at the lieutenant. Alenko was covered head to toe in a blue aura, throwing a ball of energy of his own at one of the remaining drones.

"...what the - Keep it up, LT!" he yelled, fighting the recoil, "I didn't know you used biotics!" The drone Kaidan threw with dark energy smashed into a tree, exploding on impact.

"You didn't ask!" the lieutenant yelled back, blue miasma dissipating around him. He threw a sabotage at the last remaining drone. Shepard's rifle cracked another round harshly, exploding it. Alenko scouted the area, making his way to Jenkins' body.

"Perimeter secure, Commander." Shepard stuck his sniper back on the mag-lock harness as he walked up to Alenko. The lieutenant was on one knee, gently closing Jenkins' eyes.

"Ripped right through his shields..." he said quietly, standing up and facing his XO. He handed the commander Jenkins' dog tags, "He never had a chance."

"We can't help him now. Sometimes marines die. The rest of us have to carry on. We still have to find that beacon," Shepard said regretfully. He flipped the tags over in his hand. _Richard L. Jenkins_. He honestly didn't know Jenkins all that well, but he knew the corporal helped keep the morale of the crew upbeat. This would be a blow to everyone on board. He sighed, refusing to dwell on it. Kaidan gazed at him steadily.

"Aye, aye, sir."

They continued up the hill and paused at the ridge, looking into the trees. With a glance at each other, they pulled their pistols and ducked from cover to cover, expecting the worst. They were not disappointed; more drones engaged them. Shepard knelt, leading his targets before popping some rounds in them. He felt hyper-aware of whenever the lieutenant did a throw or used his barriers, feeling the change in air pressure.

As they caught their breath, they heard Nihlus over the comm again. A glare reflected in the brush off the path and Shepard went to investigate, popping his rifle on his back.

" _I've got some burned out buildings here, Shepard. A lot of bodies. I'm going to check it out...I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site._ "

It was a med kit. Shepard grabbed the extra medigel, adding it to his inventory. Alenko nodded in approval.

"That was lucky, sir. Can't ever have too much of that stuff around."

"Agreed, LT," Shepard pulled his sniper from the mag-lock harness again. "So I read in your file that you're trained as a field medic?"

"Yes, sir. Dr Chakwas and I went over field protocols early on; I can patch you up enough to get back to the ship in fairly decent shape. She's the surgeon, though...I just assist if needed. I thought the biotics were mentioned in my file, too..." he broached the topic cautiously.

They exited the cover of the forest, trees rustling in the hot breeze. The air was close and heavy as they started down the slope. Shepard loosely held his sniper in front of him, blue eyes scanning ahead.

"It is, but it also said you chose not to focus on them when you enlisted. I didn't see any particular extra-curricular training notes with them, either, so I just assumed that you didn't use them. Your tech training is much more comprehensive."

"I...came trained on how to use my biotics already. I felt there wasn't much the Alliance could teach me about them that I didn't already know."

Shepard nodded and held up a fist, stopping in his tracks. The lieutenant followed suit. Footsteps pounded towards them and the familiar energy weapon blast from the drones.

"Time to go," the commander said, hefting his rifle before darting down the trail, "Got my six?"

Alenko shook his head as he activated his barriers again, following suit.

"Always, Commander."

To borrow Fredricks' phrasing, 'this shit is for the birds' just about covered everything, Kaidan decided. The marine they rescued from the drones had been one of the ones in the SOS vid he and Joker had picked up: Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. As far as she knew, she was the lone survivor of her squad and battalion. Shepard had been kind, but direct in his questions to her about the situation. They were both shocked speechless when she gave her assessment on the human sized mobile units.

Geth.

And then those spikes...he felt his stomach churn when a pair of the geth held a wounded soldier on one and a large point suddenly erupted, carrying the body as it impaled the soldier through the chest. He took note of other bodies pierced and dangling; they were unusually gray and shriveled. He tried to ignore them while the chief talked, but it was difficult. They made him uneasy. He turned his back on them, focusing on the converastion.

"...aren't any turians on Eden Prime. None that I've ever met. Not sure I'd be able to tell if one was a Spectre, anyway," Williams was saying. The commander was listening to her while sifting through a couple of crates on the ground.

"If you saw this guy, you'd know. Carries enough firepower to wipe out a whole platoon. Luckily he's on our side," Kaidan broke in, realizing Shepard was asking if she had seen Nihlus.

"Sorry...like I said, no turians," she replied testily.

"Ha!" Shepard interrupted. "Heads up, LT!" Kaidan caught an ammo modifier that added radioactive traces to his rounds. He did prefer anything that increased the damage over time threshold. He glanced at the commander still digging in the crate as he popped his magazine and fitted the mod. Williams had her brow furrowed.

"The beacon's at the far end of this trench...sir," she said, carefully avoiding any type of inflection. Kaidan himself was a little perplexed why Shepard was so preoccupied with the containers until a suit of light grade Scorpion armor appeared. Williams' eyebrows arched as she whistled in appreciation.

"No wonder we weren't allowed to get in those," she said, "They were holding back."

Shepard looked smug as he linked her hard-suit up to his omni-tool. Her stats pulled up next to the lieutenant's and his own on the holographic image. He scrolled through the various menus, comparing damage limits and shield capacities, mobility, and physics thresholds.

"Old trick I learned way back when. You'll never know what you'll find...Alenko, you'd benefit the most from the biotic and tech protection. It's yours if you want it."

Williams' jaw dropped. Kaidan himself blinked a couple of times, then said, "I'll take it. If you're sure you don't want it for yourself, sir..."

"Nah. You go ahead. Williams here has Phoenix armor; it has a built in medical interface. That'll suit her. You need the increase in stats more than I do currently. Come to think of it, Chief, take the anti-personnel rounds mod. I bet when you add that to your assault rifle, you'll be unstoppable."

Kaidan finished swapping the armor out and Shepard managed to compact the spare Onyx suit into his inventory. Williams still had a dubious look on her face while she fixed her new mod on her gun, but didn't say anything.

"Move out, keep to my nine and six...cover whenever possible," Shepard demanded, pulling his sniper off the mag-lock harness and holding it at the ready. "If I say 'duck', duck."

"Aye, aye..."

"Aye, sir."

They went made quick work of the geth surrounding the dig site. Shepard picked them off easily, Kaidan providing sabotage attacks as requested. When they reached the site, there was an empty pedestal.

"Huh...They must've moved it. It was here this morning," Williams said, scraping the dirt with her boot.

"Which side, though? Ours? Or the geth?" Kaidan asked. He wasn't really expecting an answer.

" _Change of plan, Shepard. There's a small space port up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there._ "

"Double time, marines...I don't like the look of this," Shepard muttered, jogging up the ramps. They crested the hill and saw more of the spikes with shriveled, gray corpses on top. Kaidan got an uneasy feeling as he surveyed the area.

"It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up," he cautioned.

"Yeah," Shepard agreed, "barriers, LT. Keep them up." He shot the lieutenant a half-grin before turning back down the path. A few more steps and it all went to hell.

"Oh, god! They're still alive!"

The spikes started lowering with a metallic groan, the bodies twitching as they reanimated. The eyes and what he could only assume was a replica of vital mobility systems lit up with an eerie blue glow. He activated his barriers and immediately fanned out, laying down cover fire. He couldn't help thinking that the bodies were just dried out husks that used to be human.

"What did the geth _do_ to them?!" Williams gasped as she threw herself behind a boulder. Shepard knelt, trying to line up a shot. The glowing bodies were moving too quickly for him to get a bead on them, Kaidan realized, and biotically threw the one that was closest to the commander. He received a grateful look, then -

"DUCK!"

He knelt down immediately and Shepard fired over his head. He felt electricity fizzle and snap over his barriers as a husk went down behind him. Williams was laying into another one that was zig-zagging towards her.

"Whoosh...little close, there, Commander...I don't know how I feel about you pointing a gun at me," he said, targeting the last husk with Williams.

"It was either that, or a grenade. Didn't think you'd appreciate the other option."

"Yeah, I don't think I would enjoy that very much."

Williams was a little breathless as she joined them. Shepard pulled their stats up on his omni-tool; so far no injuries. They moved forward and found a pair of scientists locked in a shed. Kaidan found himself surprised at how diplomatic his XO was. Williams was rolling her eyes at Dr Manuel; he didn't seem very stable and wasn't making much sense.

"We're done here...Williams, take us to the space port."

The three of them started jogging down the path when a distant pop sounded ahead of them. Shepard shot a look at Kaidan. He shrugged back, tension seeping into his shoulders as the commander opened the radio channel.

"Nihlus...come in. Nihlus...report. Hello?"

The comms were silent.

"Shit...let's move, soldiers..."

They all were on edge as they continued on the trail, eyes peeled for any sign of movement. They caught sight of the space port when they topped the hill.

"Heads up! More husks..." Kaidan reported, firing up his barriers again. Shepard pulled his pistol this time. Williams peered through her scope.

"Husks?" she asked, confused. "Looks like they have company...there's geth down there, too."

Shepard pushed past her, eyeing his own sightline. He tossed a grenade near the spikes, then blew it with his omni-tool. Williams instantly started spraying the weakened husks with a hail of bullets. Shepard and Kaidan traded shots with the geth troopers below, shields and barriers fizzling with impacts. One stubborn geth refused to stay down, so Kaidan unleashed a ball of blue energy at it. It didn't get up again.

"All clear...we should move, Commander," he said, holstering his pistol. Williams rolled her shoulders, amped from the firefight.

"Let's get the bastards," she said. They moved down the embankment, past the piles of flaming debris. Shepard led them past another locked shed, but stopped dead.

"Did you hear something?" he asked, glancing at the prefabricated hut. Kaidan shrugged.

"No, but that lock looks like the one the scientists had toggled. Might be worth checking out, seeing if there're any survivors."

Shepard investigated, activating his omni-tool.

"Williams, take point for scouting. Make sure nothing gets close."

"Aye, aye, sir."

Kaidan watched as the commander connected his omni-tool to the lock.

"Looks like a quick and dirty encryption job...shouldn't take too long," Shepard mumbled.

"I wonder why they did it. Think someone was hiding something?" Muffled noises erupted from inside the shed. The commander furrowed his brow at it.

"We're about to find out, I think."

"You sure? It looks like it's on a timer. You're about to -"

"Damn..."

"- get locked out. Here, let me -" Kaidan moved next to Shepard, shoulders brushing as he connected his own omni-tool. The commander lifted an eyebrow at him, then relinquished the position.

"Be my guest, if you think you can do better," he said amusedly. Kaidan heaved a sigh.

"System locked us out. I can jury-rig it with omnigel, though. Permission to use some of the reserves?"

"Granted, LT."

"You know, Shepard, I thought you'd bust this with a hard stare. I mean, you _are_ proficient in tech..." Kaidan said conversationally, applying the gel to the lock. Shepard chuckled.

"Yeah, but I'm better at dismantling than 'fixing'. I can hack and do decryptions, but I have to sit and think about my next move."

Kaidan glanced over his shoulder, shooting him a wry grin. "Lucky for you, I'm quick." The lock popped open and he trained his pistol on the door. Williams focused on the door as well.

"You know, you two sound like an old married couple," she muttered to him while the commander greeted the farmers who emerged. He snorted.

"If you say so, Chief."

After Shepard had gone round a few times with the farmers, he was fed up. Nothing was going right. Jenkins, dead. Nihlus, dead. No sign of the damn beacon. Dead civilians. And a smuggling ring. He rooted through the shed, looking for anything useful. He found an encrypted weapons locker. The lieutenant cleared his throat when they poked the lock.

"Do, uh...d'you want me to, uh..."

"I got it, LT." Shepard connected his omni-tool to the lock and started the sequence.

"Are you sure? It looks like it's the same kind of timed encryption."

Shepard smirked at him as the door popped open. "What kind of infiltrator would I be if I couldn't actually hack into anything?"

"A piss-poor one," Williams piped up. They looked at her. "What?" she shrugged. Shepard laughed.

"Move out. We gotta find Nihlus."

* * *

Shepard chewed his bottom lip while he frantically disarmed the last charge, trying not to flinch as bullets peppered the wall beside him. He could feel the hum of Alenko's biotics, working hard to keep the geth at bay. Williams was an absolute beast with an assault rifle, he discovered; all he had to do was tell her to target one specific enemy and they were cut down. They were taking some hits, though. He'd already used half the medigel reserves. He hoped there wouldn't be many more geth.

He ran down his mental checklist of everything that had gone wrong so far and added 'Spectre murdered by another Spectre' at the bottom. Shepard truly wondered if there was some god or other deity that he had pissed off in another life. He sighed with relief as the bomb blinked inactive.

"How're we doing?" he asked, looking at his squad's sweaty faces. Alenko's heavy brows were furrowed, but he looked calm.

"Doing well, sir," came the determined response.

"Fine, Commander," the chief's answered, "let's go kick some flashlight heads back behind the Veil."

They headed down the stairs and into the waiting arms of more husks. Shepard could tell his team was starting to get fatigued; they almost let themselves get flanked. Alenko made good use of his biotics by throwing every opponent he could find, allowing the squad time to regroup and pin the downed enemy with a barrage of bullets. A precursory investigation after the area was secure gave them a few more weapons and equipment they could bring back to the Normandy.

Alenko walked towards the rail, gazing at the razed expanse of field.

"That must be where the ship landed..." he said quietly.

"Looks like someone dropped a bomb," Williams pointed out bluntly. Shepard turned his back on them, activating his earpiece. The lieutenant walked towards the glowing green spire.

"Normandy! The beacon is secured..." He walked a few meters away from the squad, giving coordinates.

"This is amazing! Actual, working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!"

"It wasn't doing anything like _that_ at the dig site," Williams said, turning her back on it. She walked towards the commander.

"Something must've activated it..." Alenko muttered, peering at it. He edged closer.

"Roger, Normandy. Standing by," Shepard ended transmission and nodded at Williams. She nodded back, checking her mag-lock harness. The lieutenant was near the beacon. Shepard watched for a moment; it almost looked like he was being dragged in.

"SHIT!"

Alenko started struggling, leaning as far back as he could. He fought as his arms started to get spread out. Shepard pushed past Williams, barreling into the lieutenant. He wrapped his arms around the lieutenant's torso, throwing him out of the way. Too late he realized that he had exchanged one problem for another: he tried to resist as the field dragged him in, arms spread out painfully. His eyes rolled in his head, a searing pain in his skull. Confusing flashes of red, planets, and blood swam in his mind.

"SHEPARD!"

He could barely register Alenko shouting his name.

"NO! Don't touch him!" Williams shrieked, "It's too dangerous!"

Shepard was thrown backwards onto the platform, rolling a few times. He fought to keep conscious. The last thing he saw was Kaidan's worried face over his, omni-tool glowing over him. He tried to speak, but words wouldn't form. All that came next was darkness.


	5. Enter Prothean Sandman

_**Storm Rising**_ , by potionsmaster

Rating: T for language

A/N: I hope my regurgitation of Eden Prime was bearable.

Summary: " _It's just the beasts under your bed; in your closet, in your head..._ " ~Metallica

* * *

 **Chapter 5** : _Enter Prothean Sandman_

Screams. Blood. Flames. And that huge ship. None of it made any sense. Shepard groaned, feeling his conscious mind dragging him from the horrible images. His limbs felt like they were bags of sand, eyes gritty. He struggled to sit up, rubbing his eyes and forehead with a slow hand.

"Doctor? Doctor Chakwas! I think he's waking up..."

A familiar husky voice sounded as a gentle hand on his back steadied him; he righted himself on the exam table. He peered blearily back at the owner of both and his eyes locked with the lieutenant's, concern etching lines in the other man's forehead. The hand dropped away and Alenko stepped back. Dr Chakwas moved into sight in front of him. She pursed her lips, giving him a once-over.

"You had us worried, there, Shepard. How're you feeling?"

"How did I end up here?" he asked groggily, ignoring the doctor's question, "And how long was I out?" He leaning heavily on his knees. The doctor lifted an elegant eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"About 15 hours. Something happened down there with the beacon, I think."

"It's my fault...I must've triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way." Shepard glanced over his shoulder at the lieutenant's interjection. Alenko looked tired; he had dark circles under his eyes and his arms were crossed tightly across his chest. Shepard gave him what he hoped was a smile.

"You had no way of knowing what would happen," he replied. The biotic relaxed, returning the smile with a shy one of his own. Shepard felt his own broaden at that. Dr Chakwas glanced between them.

"Actually, we don't even know if that's what set it off. Unfortunately we'll never get a chance to find out." Shepard turned his attention back to her.

"The beacon exploded; a system overload, maybe. The blast knocked you cold...Williams and I had to carry you back to the ship," the lieutenant said, moving to stand next to Dr Chakwas. Shepard started to wiggle himself off the edge of the exam table with a groan.

"I appreciate it...did we go back for Jenkins and Nihlus?"

"Yes, Commander, I personally led a ground team for recovery of their bodies. They're prepped for transport and will be turned over to their respective governments once we reach the Citadel. I, uh...I tried to find Jenkins' family on Eden Prime, but they're still on the missing list," he swallowed hard.

Shepard nodded in approval. The lieutenant looked a little more at ease, tension leaking from his shoulders. Dr Chakwas cleared her throat.

"Back to the matter at hand, Commander," she said delicately. "Physically? You're fine. But I detected some unusual brain activity; abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement...signs typically associated with intense dreaming...

Shepard rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, awful images of a planet being destroyed bleeding together with two warring factions. They flitted in front of his eyelids too fast for comprehension; his headache was starting to throb again.

"I... _was_ dreaming. I think. I saw...death. Destruction. Synthetics killing...humans? Some kind of organic life. I'm not exactly sure what I saw..."

"Hmm. I better add this to my report. It may-oh! Captain Anderson." Dr Chakwas peered around Alenko at the tall man. Anderson nodded at her.

"How's our XO holding up, Doctor?"

"Well, all the readings look normal. I'd say the commander's going to be fine."

"Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to speak with you. In private." Anderson gave a pointed look at the lieutenant.

"Aye, aye, Captain. I'll be in the mess if you need me," Alenko said, saluting. He cast one last glance at Shepard and made his way towards the door, Dr Chakwas following without a word. Anderson clasped his hands behind his back as he addressed Shepard.

"Sounds like the beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. You sure you're ok?"

"As well as I can be, considering. I don't like soldiers dying under my command."

"Jenkins wasn't your fault...you did everything you could. Lt Alenko agrees with you, and so does Williams."

"Chief Williams isn't part of the crew..." Shepard furrowed his brow suspiciously.

"I figured we could use a soldier like her. She's been reassigned to the Normandy."

"That's a mistake," he said cautiously, "I'm not saying she's not a good soldier; she saved our asses on the ground more than once. But she just lost her entire platoon. She needs time to process it, and a psych eval at the very least. I think she needs enforced leave."

"I'm the captain of this ship, Commander. And I want Williams on our crew."

"Respectfully, sir, I still think it's a mistake. As executive officer, I must insist that she submit to Alliance protocols to ensure she'll work well with the crew. We don't need anything else disrupting the crew dynamic."

"That's my call, not yours. Alenko vouched for her combat prowess; said she was an asset. I trust his judgment. You should, too; he's got a good head for analyzing situations and people."

"Moving on, sir..." Shepard exhaled sharply. The matter was out of his hands for now; he would push for the psych eval later. "You said you needed to see me in private?"

"I won't lie to you, Shepard," Anderson shook his head. "Things look bad. Nihlus is dead. The beacon was destroyed, and the geth are invading, as far as we can tell. The Council is going to want answers."

"We've got nothing to hide. Intel dropped the ball. We had no idea what we were walking into. Geth?"

"They haven't been seen outside the Perseus Veil in two centuries, Commander. Nobody could have predicted this. I'll stand by you and your reports. It was Saren. A rogue Spectre is trouble, and Saren's dangerous. And," the captain added after a moment, "he hates humans."

"He wanted the beacon," Shepard scoffed, "he didn't come to Eden Prime because he hates humans. Whatever information was stored in that beacon was what he was after."

"Maybe you're right, Commander..." Anderson nodded thoughtfully. Shepard rolled his neck, trying to stretch it out. His head was pounding and he didn't think the conversation was going to help. He settled in for a long discussion.

* * *

Kaidan puttered around the mess, feeling restless. He was tired but he couldn't settle down. He wasn't technically on duty and knew he should catch up on rest. He couldn't justify sleeping to himself right now, though. Williams' eyes bored into him from across the deck, following his every move. He ignored her.

When they had initially gotten back on the ship, her eyes were a little too wide and glassy. He suspected the events of the day were replaying in her mind; he wouldn't wish that on anybody. The phrase 'shell shocked' kept popping up in his thoughts. He was convinced he had seen her hands trembling after they had put Shepard on the stretcher, too.

Fredricks had been waiting with Dr Chakwas in the cargo hold to help transport the commander's prone form. The look on the private's face when he'd been told Jenkins' corpse needed to be retrieved and Williams was replacing the corporal was painful. Fredricks had gruffly asked if he could move his locker to Jenkins' old one behind the Mako. Kaidan nodded his assent, then told the gunnery chief she could have the newly empty one beside the workbench and his own locker. She nodded mutely.

Williams kitted down, movements sluggish. The lieutenant walked over to Fredricks, waiting for him to finish suiting up. He heard the private muttering under his breath. "...just waltz right in, like nothin' is different; wonder if she planned it that way. All she had to do was bat her eyes, and boom! New posting. Didn't even have to work for it..."

"Lock it down, Fredricks. That's not what happened in the slightest and you know it," the lieutenant growled. The private had wisely bitten his tongue after that.

The whole mission had shaken him to his core; scared the crap out of him. Two team members dead, almost losing the commander...and who the hell knew what the beacon had done or why it exploded. He was certain he had caused it, whatever it was. The guilt was eating away at him more than he cared to admit.

At least Shepard didn't seem to blame him for anything. Kaidan leaned against the wall next to the mess table, staring at the med bay doors. Captain Anderson had been in there for a while. He briefly wondered if the commander was getting chewed out for the mission failing. He sighed; his reports had been typed up and submitted almost as soon as he had finished helping the doctor prep the bodies. They detailed everything that had happened on the ground and matched the audio logs. There wasn't anything that could have been done differently.

The lieutenant gusted a sigh again. He had claimed he had the beginnings of a migraine and wanted to stay in the darkened med bay to write the sitreps, but he was fairly certain Dr Chakwas knew he really was just finding an excuse to stay close to the commander.

The sense of responsibility he felt towards Shepard was overwhelming. If he had just kept away from the beacon... He perked up as he saw the doors slid open. Anderson nodded at the commander and they split ways. Shepard caught sight of Kaidan and walked over to him. The biotic breathed in relief.

"Commander! Glad to see you're ok," he greeted as he peeled himself off the wall, "Losing Jenkins was hard on the crew...I'm glad we didn't lose you, too..."

Shepard pursed his lips, not meeting his eyes. "Things were pretty rough down there."

"Yeah, you never get used to seeing dead civilians...doesn't seem right, somehow. But at least you stopped Saren from wiping out the whole colony."

"I couldn't have done it without you," the commander said kindly, finally looking at him full in the face. Kaidan was struck by how blue Shepard's eyes were in the mess hall's lighting. He'd never gotten a really good look at the commander straight in the eyes before, he realized. There was always a visor in the way or a glance that was too quick to really register. He mentally shook himself. Those bright blue eyes were expectant, waiting for a response.

"We're marines, we stick together," the words tumbled out of his mouth, "and I'm just sorry we lost Jenkins."

"I wish I could have done something to save him."

Shepard sounded reproachful, dropping his gaze again. The lieutenant felt the twinge of responsibility pluck his gut; the commander looked defeated. He cocked his head to the side, trying to catch Shepard's gaze again. Williams started walking towards them.

"I was there; you did everything right!" he reassured, "It was just bad luck. It's been a helluva shakedown cruise. Our first mission ends with one Spectre killing another. The Citadel Council's not going to be happy about that...they'll probably use it to lever more concessions from the Alliance."

That seemed to rouse the commander's interest. He looked up at Kaidan again, eyebrow quirked. Williams stood a few feet off to the side of them.

"You've got a good grasp on the situation...you a career man?" Shepard asked, focusing on the lieutenant. Kaidan flicked his eyes to the gunnery chief. She looked like she wanted to interrupt.

"Yeah, a lot of biotics are. We're not restricted, but we definitely aren't undocumented. May as well get a paycheck for it. Besides, my father served...made him proud when I enlisted. Eventually..."

"Is that why you're here, Commander? Because of your family?" Williams eagerly broke in. Kaidan thought he saw Shepard's jaw clench briefly, but his voice was conversational and light when he replied.

"That's a bit personal, don't you think? I wanted to serve...make a difference in the world, and the galaxy. This was the best way I knew how to do it. How're you holding up, Chief?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, glancing between the lieutenant and the XO.

"Part of me feels guilty for what happened...if Jenkins was still alive, I might not be here."

Shepard pressed his lips together as he grunted noncommittally. Kaidan furrowed his brow at that. The commander didn't seem all that happy that she was on board. Williams must've picked up on it, too; she looked annoyed.

"At least the crew will be happy that _you're_ ok, Commander..." The implication and sarcasm was heavy. Shepard's eyes narrowed at her.

"Sounds like you're disappointed I survived, Williams."

"I never want to see anything bad happen to a fellow marine. Let's just leave it at that," she snapped.

"Watch your tone, Chief..." Shepard said mildly, "When we reach the Citadel, you'll need to complete a psych eval and other tests deemed necessary to prove you're fit for duty. Losing your entire squad is nothing to brush aside."

She scoffed.

"You make it sound like it was my fault. I fought for my life down there, and I won. Just because you survived Akuze doesn't mean you know how I think!"

Kaidan froze, eyes wide. He couldn't believe she had the audacity to say that. Shepard blinked slowly, jaw clenching again.

"Standard procedure after an event like that. I'll thank you in advance for not assuming my thought processes, either. Akuze has nothing to do with why I'm ordering it. Check your rules and regs, _Chief_ ," he said in clipped tones. She had enough sense to look abashed at the rebuke.

"When are we heading to the Citadel, sir?" Kaidan asked, more to change the subject than anything. Shepard still had his eyes trained on the gunnery chief's face. She had her arms crossed and was focusing on a spot on the floor.

"Now, actually...I need to get up to the bridge and talk to Joker," Shepard said, nodding towards the stairs, "You should come along. You too, Williams." Kaidan tossed a quick look at the chief, falling into step behind Shepard. She moved into the left flank position, just like when they had been on the ground on Eden Prime.

"Would you be able to tell us why we're going straight to the Citadel, Commander?" he asked. Shepard didn't look back as they climbed the curved stairs.

"Anderson's hoping the ambassador will be able to get us an audience with the Council. Tell them what Saren's been up to."

"Makes sense...they'd probably like to know he's not working for them anymore." Shepard snorted at that.

"You said it, LT."

* * *

Shepard took up his customary spot behind Joker's chair. The pilot shot a grin over his shoulder as the Normandy finished the relay jump directly into the Widow System in the Serpent Nebula. A thick lavender haze outside the observation windows blocked their view.

"Good timing, Commander; I was just about to bring us into the Citadel...see that taxpayer money at work," Joker said. Kaidan leaned over the copilot console, giving a perfunctory glance over the energy input/output readings. Williams cautiously approached the bridge behind Shepard but scurried over to the left observation port when she caught a glimpse of the Citadel ward arms peeking through the miasma.

"Look at the size of that ship!" she exclaimed. Shepard couldn't help looking out the window over her shoulder. It was an impressive ship, he had to give it that. He had never actually been to the Citadel before. It was massive. The five ward arms were spread like giant flower petals, all linked by a rotating circle called the Presidium. He couldn't even begin to imagine how many hundreds of miles even one of the ward arms contained.

"The _Ascension_...flagship of the Citadel fleet," Kaidan grinned at them as he stood up straight. Joker rolled his eyes

"Well, size isn't everything," he muttered.

"Why so touchy, Joker?" Williams quirked an eyebrow at him, amused.

"I'm just sayin' you need firepower, too," the helmsman retorted mildly. Shepard stifled an eye roll and was thankful Joker didn't take the bait; he was waiting for a sarcastic comment on a broken bone as a result from the restraint.

"Look at that monster! Its main gun could rip through the barriers of any ship in the Alliance fleet!" the gunnery chief refocused back onto the massive ship patrolling the space in front of the Presidium ring.

"Good thing it's on our side, then," the lieutenant pointed out. Shepard moved away from the window and stood next to him, watching the Citadel coming closer.

"Citadel Control, this is SSV Normandy, requesting permission to land," Joker was the epitome of professionalism. He always enjoyed watching people's reactions to the Citadel.

" _Stand by for clearance, Normandy...Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator._ "

"Roger, Control...Normandy out."

" _Normandy, this is Alliance Tower. Please proceed to dock 442._ "

Joker made straight for the spire protruding from the Presidium ring. Shepard gave a small sigh. He had a feeling the encounter with the ambassador was going to try his nerves.

"Alenko, Williams...suit up and meet me in the airlock. After we get the whole Council business out of the way, we'll find a bar. First round's on me."

* * *

A/N: Huh-boy...Ash better watch herself, lol.


	6. Nobody Ever Expects a Citadel Politician

_**Storm Rising**_ , by potionsmaster

Rating: T for language

A/N: Politicians suck and make my head hurt. Also another 'I broke game canon' moment; Fredricks talked about Sha'ira on the Normandy, not in the bar on the Citadel. Bad author, no cookie...

* * *

 **Chapter 6** : _Nobody Ever Expects a Citadel Politician_

Kaidan leaned on the railing over the Presidium's dazzlingly white walkways, Williams – wait, no, 'call me Ash' – lounging on it beside him. They were trying to appear like they weren't listening to the conversation between Ambassador Udina, Anderson, and Shepard; it was hard to do. Particularly when the voices started to get progressively louder and angrier. Ash was peering at the commander in particular.

"I see you brought half your crew with you..."

Kaidan craned his neck to the side, hoping to catch more of the conversation. He saw Shepard stifle an eye roll. Ash shot the lieutenant an impish look, biting back a grin. He winked at her, barest hint of a smile playing across his own lips.

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions," Anderson said, trying to placate the grumpy man in the white suit.

"I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?" came the snappish retort. Udina scowled at the captain and commander. Shepard had his own brows furrowed in defiance. Kaidan could only imagine what was making him clench his jaw so tightly. He glanced over at Ash again when he heard her sharp intake of breath; she had bitten her bottom lip and was slowly releasing it.

"They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

Anderson's voice was controlled and reasonable. The lieutenant admired how unfazed his CO was. Udina was pacing like a caged lion.

"They were _not_ happy about it. Saren's their top agent! They don't like him being accused of treason."

The words shredded the air.

"He's dangerous! Saren's a threat to every colony out there! He needs to be stopped. The Council _has_ to listen to us!"

Ash sharply jammed her elbow into the kinetic padding between Kaidan's chest plate and back piece at Shepard's furious words. He whipped his head back around to look at her, frown firmly in place as he futilely rubbed his side. She bugged her eyes out at him in disbelief, lips pursed. He noted her cheeks were flushed, too. That was a bit odd.

He shook his head at her; he would much rather pay attention to the argument unfolding in front of them. The gunnery chief seemed intent on distracting him from it without meaning to and it was bothering him. The lieutenant gave her a hard glare as Udina's words drifted to them. He hoped she got the hint to stop pestering him.

"Settle down, Commander!" Udina snapped, "You've already done _more_ than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done! Instead, Nihlus ended up dead, and the beacon was destroyed!"

Shepard had a dangerous look on his face; the biotic could see the effort it took for him to bite his tongue.

"Oh my god..." Ash muttered, "Mm, mm, mm."

"What?" Kaidan said distractedly; he was getting ready to give up on being able to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Nothing, really..."

Anderson's chest puffed up, fists clenched at his sides as he spoke up.

"That's Saren's fault, not his!"

"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council might use it as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres," Udina spat out at the commander. Shepard's scowl deepened. The ambassador held the stormy gaze for a moment, then focused on Anderson.

Kaidan heaved an exasperated sigh as he heard Ash hum again. It was pointless to try to concentrate at the moment.

"Nothing, huh? Would it have anything to do with why you're ogling our XO?"

She looked at him, shocked. He held her gaze steadily. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. She leaned in close, breath whispering across his ear. _That_ he didn't like in the slightest. She had an odd way of acting overly familiar with people and it rubbed him the wrong way.

"That obvious, huh? I can't help it; he's _hot_ when he's all worked up..."

Kaidan blinked at her in astonishment while she peered over him at the three men again. Now he _really_ didn't know how he felt about it. He guessed he hadn't really given it much consideration. Udina's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard – you and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have the clearance to get in." Udina and Anderson walked away. Shepard still looked peeved as he turned to his squad. He nodded towards the door, indicating he wanted them to follow. His jaw was still clenched.

"And that's why I hate politicians..." Ash muttered as Shepard walked by her. Kaidan shook his head at that; he wasn't sure if she meant it to be a joke or if she really thought it. He was fairly certain she wanted Shepard to hear her, though. The commander paused, looking at the terminal tucked into a corner of the office. After a brief moment of deliberation he started tapping on the keys. Kaidan moved a little closer, trying to see what he was up to.

He saw the decryption program complete and raised his eyebrows incredulously; he was dumbfounded the commander would hack a secure terminal in the ambassador's office, let alone when the man himself could waltz back in at any moment. He was almost saddened that he felt his respect for the man drop. Shepard gave him a sidelong glance then inclined his head towards the screen, motioning him to read the Alliance patrol report that popped up. Kaidan furrowed his brow as he skimmed it. Maybe he wasn't so different himself, since he so willingly read the report.

"Weird energy signatures in Argos Rho, huh? In the Hydra System? Think we'll get sent there?" he asked while Shepard copied it to his omni-tool. Ash rubbed her nose behind them.

"I don't know, but it's something I'd like to keep an eye on...just in case it's more geth popping up."

"They mentioned wanting to send in a recon team."

Shepard closed his omni-tool and made his way to the hallway, the lieutenant practically on his heels. Ash followed a littler further back.

"Seems like a possibility, since we've got a stealth frigate."

"Yeah, I hear ya...Sir."

Kaidan reprimanded himself for belatedly adding the 'sir'; Shepard was very easy to talk to. He almost forgot that they needed to address him as such. Maybe that's why Ash felt comfortable enough to – well, whatever it was she was doing. The thread of disquiet uncoiled in his stomach again when he thought about her earlier comments. Their boots clomped down the stairs.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier, Chief..." Shepard said abruptly. He was staring at the door, waiting for it to open to the atrium of the embassies.

"...sir?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't feeling well and my patience was shot. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Ash blinked. The door opened and the noise from the crowd filtered through the air. Shepard stepped over the threshold, glancing over the expanse of white.

"Oh, uh...it's alright. I honestly kinda forgot about it, truth be told."

Kaidan was taken aback; he hadn't ever expected the commander to apologize for anything he said or did. Shepard looked at her over his shoulder, catching her eye and giving her a half-smile with a nod. Ash looked a little flustered at that, eyes sparkling. She caught the lieutenant's eye and smirked. He lifted an eyebrow at her. He didn't know what to label it, but he felt a minor sense of relief that Shepard seemed oblivious to Ash's attentions. They walked past the V.I. terminal that was offering information. The commander paused, debating whether or not they had time to use it.

"What do you think, Alenko? Ask for directions only or do we have enough time to play tourist?"

Shepard had his omni-tool activated, looking at the time. It chirped at him. Kaidan rolled his lips inward, thinking.

"All due respect, sir, we should probably get to the Council Chambers as soon as we can. The ambassador seemed to be in a hurry."

"You're probably right...and besides, the less interaction I have with a V.I., the better."

Shepard caught his eye at that, another one of his patented half-smiles playing on his lips. Kaidan huffed a small laugh.

"Don't worry, Shepard, I got your six. Remember?"

"If that's the case, I'll just ask it for directions. These buildings all look the same to me."

Ash was gazing at the commander shyly as he shook his head in amusement. She sidled closer to Kaidan as Shepard started the interface protocol.

"So..." she started nonchalantly, "Is he always this temperamental?"

The lieutenant raised another eyebrow at her, noting the slight flush in her cheeks again. Maybe she was just overheating in her heavy armor.

"Not that I know of, but I've only been serving with him for a couple of weeks. Why?"

"No reason..." she trailed off, glancing over at Shepard. Wishful thinking that she was feeling too hot in her armor was more like it, he realized. The commander was engrossed in trying to navigate Avina's verbal menus and somehow managed to toggle the lecture about the Citadel Council. He looked like he was trying his hardest not to be impatient with it.

"Uh-huh. You're about as subtle as a gun, Chief. I thought you were upset at him from earlier on the ship?"

She snorted, scuffing the toe of her boot on the walkway.

"Like I said, I practically forgot about it. Adrenaline was spiking in everyone and things get said that aren't true. I'm no stranger to getting yelled at. I kinda expect it, actually...comes with having a target on your back."

Kaidan was about to ask about her last comment when Shepard interrupted.

"Let's move, marines. The sooner we get to the Tower, the sooner we can find a bar afterwards. We could use a little break."

"Aye, aye, Commander," Kaidan said, moving away from Ash. She hustled after him. Shepard looked around at the tall white buildings while they moved, marveling at them. He tossed another half-smile back at Kaidan.

"Pretty impressive, LT, wouldn't you say?"

"Big place..." Kaidan agreed, craning his neck to look across the bridge as they passed it. He'd never been on the Presidium before. The commander snorted at that as they made their way towards another Avina terminal.

"Look at that bug thing over there...what's it doing?" Ash remarked, disgusted. Kaidan glanced at her briefly to see what she was referring to and wondered how he missed the green, overgrown grasshopper-like creature. Shepard shrugged and kept walking towards the glistening white building, calling the elevator.

"I can't tell the animals apart from the aliens..." she muttered. Kaidan exhaled noisily and pursed his lips. He saw the commander scowl at that.

"Keep it to yourself, Chief."

They tucked themselves into the elevator to the Tower. Ash threw Kaidan a surreptitious look as she took a step closer to the commander's back. Kaidan simply shook his head, looking down. He made a mental note to remind her of regs later when they got back to the Normandy.

"The Council isn't going to ask me any questions, are they?" she asked. Shepard was busy checking his mag-lock harness. Kaidan replied after a moment.

"I doubt it. We've made our reports. Now we just have to trust Ambassador Udina."

"No, we don't, _sir_."

Shepard shot her a look over his shoulder.

"Chief..." he warned. She ducked her head, slightly abashed as they made their way into the great room and up the stairs. They saw two turians arguing at the top.

"Saren's hiding something. Give me more time. Stall them!" the one with a visor and blue C-Sec armor said.

"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous; your investigation is over, Garrus..." the turian in the tunic replied, shaking his head as he walked away. The one with the visor shook his own head and turned to face the approaching humans. He cocked his head to the side, taking in the N7 logo on Shepard's chest-plate.

"Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."

Shepard inclined his head at the greeting, eyes not leaving the turian's face.

"Who were you just talking to?"

"That was Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. My boss. He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council."

Shepard nodded, chewing on his bottom lip. Kaidan glanced between the two of them.

"You don't like Saren? Sounds like you want to bring him down," the commander said conversationally.

"I don't trust him," Vakarian replied, "something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a Spectre; everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence."

"I think the council is ready for us, Commander..." Kaidan broke in apologetically. Shepard glanced back at him, then shrugged apologetically to the turian. Vakarian tossed a look further up the atrium where the Council chamber was waiting.

"Good luck, Shepard...maybe they'll listen to you. You don't want to keep the Council waiting."

"Thanks, Vakarian...much appreciated. Move out, soldiers."

Shepard started jogging up the walkway, trusting his squad to follow him. Kaidan wound up tripping over Ash as she cut him off; she wanted to be as close to the commander as she could. He heaved a sigh in exasperation. They met Anderson at the foot of another small set of stairs.

"The hearing's already started, come on," the CO said, falling into step with Shepard as they spilled up the stairs. Kaidan could hear Udina's growl reverberating already. It seems they were late after all.

"The council has found no evidence to prove the connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have Saren disbarred from the Spectres is denied."

"I'm glad to see justice was served..." the turian Spectre's voice was sly.

"This meeting is adjourned."

Councilor Tevos' words fell numbly on the commander's ears. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. They filed wordlessly down the stairs from the chamber dais, pausing at the foot of them. Udina caught up to the group.

"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history. It made the Council question our motives," he ground out. Anderson furrowed his brow at that. The commander bristled at the snappy words.

"I know Saren. He's working with the geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race! Every colony we have is at risk, every world we control is in danger; even Earth isn't safe!"

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck as he remembered his and Anderson's conversation back on the Normandy. He had argued that Saren hadn't been prejudiced against their race, but after listening to the snide remarks in the hearing from the smug holo projection, he wasn't so sure of his assessment anymore. He didn't like being wrong.

"Tell me about this history between you and Saren," he requested.

"I worked with him on a mission a long time ago. Things went bad...real bad. We shouldn't talk about this here. But I know what he's like. And he has to be stopped," Anderson punched his fist into his other hand in emphasis. The commander nodded, absorbing the new information. It didn't surprise him that Anderson had previous dealings with the turian Spectre; being the most decorated N7 soldier in the Alliance meant he was bound to have been in some high risk and highly classified missions.

"What's our next step?"

"As a Spectre, he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him," Udina snarled. Shepard scowled at him, but he was right. Saren had been laughing at them throughout the hearing and was one step ahead the entire way on Eden Prime. It was unacceptable.

"What about Garrus, that C-Sec investigator? We saw him arguing with the executor... " the lieutenant chimed in cautiously. Shepard glanced at him, happy for the interruption. Williams added more information eagerly as she stepped forward.

"That's right! He was asking for more time to finish his report. Seems like he was close to finding something on Saren."

"Any idea where can we find him?" Shepard turned back to the captain and the ambassador.

"I have a contact in C-Sec who can help us track Garrus down. His name is Harkin." Udina seemed to be calming down as they were working out the details to a plan of action. Shepard could see the wheels turning in the ambassador's sharp eyes. He didn't trust the man any farther than he could throw him, but he did seem to grasp the situation quickly.

"Forget it!" Anderson broke in, "They suspended Harkin last month; drinking on the job. I won't waste my time with that loser."

" _You_ won't have to," Udina said coldly, "I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard will handle this." He turned expectantly towards the commander and Shepard's jaw dropped.

"You can't just cut Captain Anderson out of this investigation!"

"The ambassador's right. I need to step aside," Anderson said quietly, brows furrowed. The lieutenant glanced between the three of them, taking it all in. Shepard was glad Kaidan had been present; he was proving to be valuable in how much he picked up in conversations and his assessment of situations.

"I need to take care of some business. Captain? Meet me in my office later..." Udina stalked away, muttering to himself. Anderson shook his head as he watched the other man leave, then turned back to Shepard. Ash shifted her weight impatiently from foot to foot.

"Harkin's probably getting drunk at Chora's Den. It's a dingy little club in the lower section of the wards."

"Maybe there's another way to find evidence against Saren."

"You should speak to Barla Von, over in the financial district. Rumor has it he's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"The Shadow Broker?" Ash broke in skeptically.

"An information dealer. Buys and sells secrets to the highest bidder. I've heard Barla Von is one of the top representatives. He might know something about Saren. But his information won't come cheap."

Shepard rolled his shoulders, armor making his muscles stiff. He was ready to be done with today, but it looked like their agenda just increased. He noted a pinched look around the lieutenant's eyes and hoped a migraine wasn't brewing; he needed Alenko at his back. Out of all the crew members on board, Kaidan seemed to work the best with him. His reserved personality hid a wicked sense of humor that Shepard was curious to see more of. Not to mention he was scarily competent at whatever task was handed to him...Anderson definitely knew what he was doing when he put Alenko in charge of the marine detail. He mentally shook himself, focusing back on the present. His response to the captain was abrupt.

"I should go."

"Good luck, Shepard. I'll be over in the ambassador's office if you need anything else."

Shepard's head was spinning with the ridiculousness it all as Anderson left them. Saren had deftly twisted everything to suit his purposes in the hearing. It was a lesson in frustration. At least Udina seem just as happy to yell at the Council as he was at Shepard earlier. He found his thoughts wandering back to the lieutenant: The lieutenant was sharp, Shepard noted, picking up on the subtleties of the words spoken and unspoken. Ash just seemed annoyed by it all. He sympathized with the gunnery chief and was grateful at the same time Kaidan was there to help him sort through the sub-context.

He caught bits of Kaidan and Ash discussing a salarian doing something to a keeper a little further down the walkway, and the purpose of why the Council had so many stairs while they moved towards a transit station. Kaidan was adamant it was all about symbolism while Ash had a more tactical approach to it. He promised himself he'd buy them a drink when they got to Chora's Den.

First they needed to visit a volus about some information.

It was surprising how readily the information broker gave his commander intel on Saren. Ash immediately questioned if there was a catch, but the round little alien behind the desk assured her that the Shadow Broker was angry enough to allow it for free.

"Say what you want about Saren, Earth-clan, but he's not stupid. He knows the Shadow Broker is a valuable ally. Turning on him doesn't make sense...not unless something huge was at stake. I don't know the details, but the Shadow Broker hired a freelancer to deal with it. A krogan mercenary," the volus huffed between words. Kaidan wondered exactly how hard the alien's rebreather was working. Ash lurked as close as she could to the commander's elbow. Shepard furrowed his brow as he responded.

"How do I find him?"

"I heard he was paying Citadel Security a visit. If you hurry, you can probably catch him before he leaves the C-Sec Academy."

"Isn't it a little strange that a krogan would want to speak to C-Sec?" the commander asked skeptically, rubbing an impatient hand over his buzzed hair. Kaidan blinked. Maybe Ash wasn't standing as close to Shepard as he thought; now it seemed like there was more space between them. He felt a small knot ease in his stomach that he didn't know had even formed. He really needed to remind Ash about regs, for his own peace of mind if nothing else.

"Very. Though I don't think his visit is entirely voluntary...you'll need to speak with him if you want to know more."

Barla sounded almost amused at the thought. Kaidan rolled his lips inwards, processing the news. Shepard dug a little deeper about the Citadel and the Shadow Broker, but there was nothing else related to tracking down Saren that the volus knew. Back on the street, the commander sighed as he faced his squad.

"This is getting more and more complicated," he said tiredly, "but we have to finish tracking at least _some_ kind of lead before we can relax."

"Agreed, Commander," Kaidan said sympathetically. Ash stepped a little closer to Shepard.

"I heard from Fredricks that Sha'ira is near here...it's supposed to be like a little oasis from the politics. Should we check it out?"

"Who's Sha'ira?" the commander asked. Kaidan rolled his eyes.

"She's the asari consort; she is whatever you want her to be..." he replied, "Entertainment, a listener, whatever. Fredricks was bragging about seeing her, but I thinks he's all talk."

The commander snorted at that. Kaidan had heard the private regaling some of the other crew about it once on crew deck and was laughing at it to himself when Shepard had stopped by to chat. He had glossed over it at the time.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to stop by...see if she's seen or heard anything about Saren."

Of course Shepard would try to justify visiting the consort; he was only made of flesh and blood. Kaidan felt his respect for the commander drop a little. It was one thing to do it when off-duty, but while they were still on the clock?

They moved further down the walkway in the financial district, taking in the scenery. He was starting to feel a little pressure in his temples. Shepard sent Ash ahead to talk with the asari attendant once they reached the consort's office, then pulled him aside.

"You alright?"

Kaidan blinked at that; the commander was peering at him, concern etching lines in his forehead.

"Doing okay, Commander. Why?"

Shepard exhaled quietly through his nose with a small smile as he gently tapped a finger between Kaidan's eyebrows.

"You're thinking too much. I can see it. Looks like if you continue, it's going to hurt. Care to share?"

Kaidan blinked again, rubbing the spot where Shepard touched him.

"It's just a little bright, sir. Nothing to be concerned about."

The commander chewed his bottom lip, thinking. Kaidan held his breath; he really didn't want to let Shepard know what was truly going on in his head. He was pretty astounded that Shepard had noticed anything.

"You can put your helmet on if the HUD helps block some of it if you need to, LT. I won't stop you if that's what you want to do. You'll let me know if it gets worse?"

He felt himself holding back a smile.

"Yes, Commander. It's just a little pressure right now. I'll let you know if it starts getting serious."

Shepard searched Kaidan's face, trying to find a lie. They could hear Ash arguing with the asari at the door about needing an appointment.

"The second you need to get to med bay, I want to know. I need you at my back. I mean it."

"Aye, sir."

Shepard nodded at him, then Ash came back up the stairs. Kaidan had an odd sensation in his gut; he hoped she wouldn't invade the commander's personal space.

"She's booking 3 months out just to get in and _talk_ to her," she complained, standing closer to Shepard than Kaidan thought was necessary. The commander chuckled and took a step back.

"Did you tell her it was a matter of galactic importance?"

"I told her all we wanted to do was question her about a few things, but the friggin' gatekeeper won't budge."

Shepard sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, I'll go put us down on the appointment book, I guess... better late than never."

He made his way down the stairs. Ash shot Kaidan an incredulous look. He returned it with a wide-eyed look of his own.

"... _Us_?" she squeaked, "He does _know_ what Sha'ira does for a living, right?"

Kaidan was at a loss for words when Shepard called up to them.

"Hey guys! She wants to talk now! Double time, soldiers..."

"I hope that's all we'll be doing..." Kaidan muttered as they descended the stairs to catch up to Shepard. It would be very awkward indeed if it wasn't.

Half an hour later and they were back on the other side of the Presidium lake, heading toward the wards. Kaidan could hardly believe what had happened. Leave it to Shepard to talk to a consort and wind up looking into seemingly personal problem of hers that had diplomatic overtones. Apparently a turian general was spreading some lies around the Presidium about her. If it got them any information on Saren or the geth, though, it was worth it, he supposed. Shepard had surprised him yet again; he found his respect for the commander inch its way back up. The commander had behaved like a perfect gentleman with Sha'ira. They passed by the monument of a mass relay.

"Anyone else hear that hum?" he asked, "Seems like it's coming from that statue...makes my teeth tingle."

Shepard paused, cocking his head to the side. Ash rolled her eyes at him.

"You're imagining things, LT. I don't hear or feel anything."

"Or maybe you're the odd one out, Williams...I feel it, too. Like a buzzing in my molars."

Kaidan gave the commander a considering look as they moved past it and made their way down more stairs to yet another elevator.

"Yeah...exactly," he said softly. He didn't think anybody heard him. They all piled into the elevator and restlessly adjusted their armor plating. The elevator music was just as tinny and annoying as it was on Earth. If Shepard was getting tired, Kaidan couldn't tell. He just seemed to keep going. Ash pointed to a sign that gave directions after they got out of the lift.

"At least we won't get too terribly lost," she said, plastering herself to Shepard's side. The commander ignored her as he read the sign and compared it to his map on his omni-tool.

"What's the next step, Commander?" Kaidan asked as they started to move again. Merchants were hawking their wares in the background. He thought he could hear a turian shopkeeper giving a human grief about returning an item, but he wasn't able to listen as they went down yet another flight of stairs.

"Chora's Den. Kill two birds with one stone, since that's where General Oraka and Harkin supposedly are."

"Makes sense, sir."

"Well, _I_ think we should find that merc the volus told us about," Ash said with an edge in her voice. The neon lights blinked in the shape of an asari dancing at the end of the corridor, bass thumping in the background. Kaidan didn't need the sign to say where they were.

"Harkin and Garrus first, then we'll deal with finding the krogan," Shepard said, cracking his neck. Kaidan pursed his lips as they followed their commander into the club. What a strange day this was turning out to be.

A/N: Shepard's not really what Kaidan expects.


	7. A Cmdr, a Staff Louie, & a Gun Chief

_**Storm Rising**_ , by potionsmaster

Rating: T for language

A/N: Well, they found a bar...and something else, too.

Summary: New squadmates have to be found first before they can be put through their paces.

* * *

 **Chapter 7** : _A Commander, a Staff Louie, and a Gunnery Chief Walk Into a Bar..._

The music throbbed around them while they paused in the doorway, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the dimness. Shepard cast a worried glance over his shoulder at his staff lieutenant. Kaidan had said it was only pressure, but the pinched look around his eyes hadn't gone away when they got to the darker corridors of the wards. He heard Ash scoff as they ventured further into the bar.

"A million light years away from where humanity began and we walk into a bar filled with men drooling over half-naked women shaking their asses on a stage. I can't decide if that's funny or sad."

"What, you don't think they're here because of the food?"

A heavy _thwack_ sounded; Shepard could only imagine it was the gunnery chief punching Kaidan on his shoulder piece. The lieutenant chuckled, then said:

"I can see why it's popular. It has quite the, ah... _view_..."

"Hey LT? Put your tongue back in your mouth before you trip over it."

Shepard quickly looked back at Kaidan again. He had expected to see the lieutenant watching the asari dancers but he was shaking his head at Ashley, an amused look on his face.

"Whatever you say, Chief. You're one to talk."

Another _thwack_ sounded as she hit him again and Kaidan simply laughed. The commander quirked an eyebrow at that. He led them to the bar, scanning the crowd. The set up was a little jarring: the right side of the room was bathed in red light while the left side was done in a cool blue. He wondered again if it was going to adversely affect the lieutenant. Shepard leaned against the bar, looking over the menu posted.

"What'll you have, Williams?"

Ash's cheeks flushed a bit as she looked at him. Kaidan stifled an eye-roll while he leaned against the bar next to Shepard and looked away; the commander wondered what that was about.

"We're still on the clock, sir. Shouldn't we wait?"

"One drink won't kill you. Besides, it'll help with recon. We need to scope out our targets. I have a feeling you're just the type to flush them out. Take your drink, mingle, find out what you can, then report back. Something tells me Harkin'll be more likely to out himself to you than me; you're prettier than I am."

Kaidan covered his snort with a cough as Ash's cheeks turned pink again. She ducked her head, looking pleased.

"In that case, how about sex on the beach?"

Shepard raised his eyebrows. She had the grace to be embarrassed.

"I–I meant the drink!" The pink had turned to red and spread all over her face. Kaidan coughed again, leaning harder on his elbows against the bar. Shepard caught the smile playing around his lips, though, as he ordered the drink from the kiosk.

"How about you, LT? Anything strike your fancy?"

"Uh, I'll skip what she's having...I don't like all the places sand can get stuck–Ow! Hey!"

Ash had soundly thumped Kaidan on the shoulder again, eyes bright.

"Would you knock it off?" Kaidan was scowling at her again. Shepard broke in, stepping between them.

"Am I going to have to separate you two? Seriously now..."

"No, sir..." came the two sullen replies. A drink that gradated from red to yellow was slid towards them. Shepard put it in Ash's hand and pointed to the blue side of the room.

"Put that sass to work and find Harkin. Then we'll find the general."

She rolled her shoulders and walked into the crowd. Kaidan watched her leave, chewing on his bottom lip.

"So how 'bout it, LT? What'll you have?"

"Uh, water's fine for the moment."

"Ok, if you're sure..." Shepard keyed an order for water and an unfiltered red ale in the kiosk, then turned towards the crowd. He eyed a couple of turians: one was watching an asari dancer, the other was sitting alone at a table, staring balefully at his drink.

"How's your head?"

"Doing ok, Shepard."

"Yeah? That's good...I wanted to talk to you about something. Might help you out on missions when we're on the ground. Totally up to you, of course."

Kaidan gave him a dubious look as their drinks were delivered. He took a sip.

"Oh? What's that?"

"I heard rumors floating around requisitions before I was assigned to the Normandy about a new prototype they're testing for certain classes of soldiers. A special face plate, I mean; it has an almost fully blocked facial shield and it would probably reduce the amount of lights flashing in your face. If we can prevent a trigger, I think that would be better for you. We can talk to requisitions and get one ordered, if you're interested."

Kaidan blinked, stunned at the information. Shepard turned back towards the bar and took a swallow of his beer. He inspected the label and furrowed his brows, waiting for a response.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I wasn't kidding earlier when I said I needed you. I didn't get a chance to comment on it before, either, but I really liked the fact that you asked about civilians before we dropped on Eden Prime. Showed me the kind of man you are. Only solidifies why I want you at my back."

Shepard took another drink and placed the bottle on the bar, looking over his shoulder. Ash was still working the crowd. Kaidan was pleasantly surprised at the commander's words. He peered at the bottle, trying to see what kind of beer Shepard chose.

"Thanks, Shepard. I appreciate it. Normally my superior officers don't take such an interest in having me around for every mission...probably consider me somewhat of a liability, what with the migraines and all."

The commander snorted and shoved the bottle towards him. Kaidan rotated it so he could read the label: _Red Rose Ale_.

"You're sharp. I need you to help me sift through all the details I might have missed. You can try it, if you want. The beer, I mean...I don't mind." He gestured towards the bottle, pensive look on his face.

"You sure?" the biotic asked. Shepard nodded, then looked down briefly. He was struck by a thought.

"Yeah, go ahead. I think I just figured something out."

"Oh?" Kaidan took a sip and slid it back towards the commander, "That's not bad. I'll have to remember it." Shepard nodded with an almost sad smile, not acknowledging the bottle. He leaned heavily on the bar again, still not meeting the lieutenant's eyes.

"Ever since I came aboard, I've felt 'comfortable' around you, more than I usually feel on a new posting. I just realized why..." Lines furrowed Shepard's forehead and his shoulders slumped a bit. The lieutenant waited patiently, gazing at him. "You, uh...remind me of someone. I should have seen it sooner, but there you have it. Better late than never."

Kaidan raised his eyebrows at that. Shepard schooled his face back into a neutral look while he pulled himself back together; he didn't want to think about _him_ right now...couldn't afford the distraction. It was his own damn fault for ordering Asher's – _his –_ favorite beer...He didn't taste it while he took another swig. Williams waved at him to catch his eye, coming back over to them. He shoved the bottle back towards Kaidan, not really wanting it anymore.

"Finish it if you want. What did you find, Chief?"

She shook her head. Kaidan took another sip after a moment of deliberation, then placed the bottle back in front of the commander.

"That guy over there? Leering from the table? That's Harkin. And there's a turian on the other side from him that's pounding the drinks pretty hard, complaining about women to anybody who will listen. Mostly to those who aren't."

Shepard smirked at that, finishing the beer and shoving the bottle towards the back of the bar, label facing away from him. Kaidan followed suit with his water glass.

"Good work, Chief," he said, rolling his neck. "Let's go find us a C-Sec detective."

* * *

Kaidan really shouldn't have been shocked at the crassness of Udina's contact, but he still was. Or rather, he was shocked at himself for _being_ shocked at it. Harkin had known immediately they were from Anderson's crew when they had asked about Garrus and his investigation into Saren. The greasy little man had also insinuated that Anderson had been a Spectre himself and had been kicked out of the program due to a failed mission; he claimed that the captain blamed the arrogant Spectre. He willed himself to concentrate on the conversation and immediately wished he hadn't.

"Secrets are like herpes. If you got 'em, you might as well spread 'em around," the balding man sneered up at them. Shepard scowled.

"You're a pig!"

Harkin's beady eyes glittered in dark humor.

"Just noticed that now, did you?" came his unctuous reply. The commander made a disgusted noise, rolling his eyes. Ash had an expression that made her look as if someone had placed a rotting carcass in front of her and she was trying not to react to it. Shepard sighed, exasperated.

"Just tell me where Garrus went."

"Garrus was sniffing around Dr Michel's office. She runs the med clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard, he was going back there. Damn hot head, is what he is. Still figures he can save the world. Always bucking heads with the executor. He'll pay for it soon enough. The executor loves to put us lowly field agents in our place. Just look at what happened to me!"

Kaidan wasn't surprised when Shepard told the other man to stop blaming others and to sober up. Ash was torn between giving Harkin the hairy eyeball and looking at their XO with bright eyes. He decided it was the blue lights being extra reflective.

After grilling him a bit more on C-Sec and where Harkin got his misinformation about Captain Anderson, Shepard turned back towards them with an exasperated sigh. He still looked disgusted.

"I think Oraka's the turian at the table. He's not dressed like the other turians in here and –"

"Yeah! That's the one I was telling you about earlier!' Ash interrupted. Shepard pursed his lips, then continued.

" – and thanks to Ash's surveillance, he seems the likeliest one. Let's get this over with."

They made their way over to the table and the turian glared at them.

"Commander... _hmph_. What do you want?"

"I'm here on Sha'ira's behalf. Your lies are hurting her."

Kaidan could already tell Shepard's patience was strained from Harkin. He really didn't expect the commander's diplomacy to hold much longer. He broke in with a few questions of his own to try and take the pressure off of his XO, but sure enough, the commander told the cranky turian to shape up before long; moping in a bar never won any wars, after all.

"You're a damn general! Act like it."

"So you think it's that easy?" the turian thumped his glass on the table, peering at them blearily. "Just straighten up and 'act like a general'?"

"I don't think it could hurt," Kaidan said under his breath. Shepard shot him an amused look over his shoulder, then turned back to the general. Oraka polished off the last of his drink and plunked the empty glass down on the table again.

"It's hard to imagine a general like that getting so upset over a woman," Kaidan speculated quietly to Ashley. She gave him an amused look.

"That's because you don't _understand_ women, Kaidan."

"Perhaps you're right about that..." he shook his head, chuckling at himself. She elbowed him gently in the side.

"You just need practice."

"Naw, I think I'm good. Besides, Chief, where would I get it from?"

"I'm sure there's some cute little ensign back on board who's dying to flirt with you," she said playfully, leaning on his arm. "You're not exactly hard to look at, LT." He smiled and shook his head again, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Maybe she wasn't so bad to be around. She was like someone's kid sister, he decided: naive, young, annoying as shit, but the potential to have a lot of fun was there. Shepard turned back towards them, brow furrowed as he stared at a datapad in his hand.

"Mixing business and pleasure seldom works out the way you want it, Williams...keep it to when you're off the clock, please. Let's move."

She caught Kaidan's eye, rolling her own. He winked at her as they made their way towards the entrance, pushing past a small crowd.

"...says the commander who bought his crew a drink while still on duty."

"Ah, see, that was a business expense. Recon. Totally different." Shepard shot her a half grin that didn't reach his eyes. Kaidan apologized to a couple he jostled by accident, but he didn't think they even noticed; the two men were rather engaged with each other at the moment. Ash gave them a dirty look as she grumbled to herself.

"Get a room, huh? Nobody wants to see that in public."

"The strippers falling out of their clothes and hanging all over their clients don't bother you, but public displays of affection do?" Kaidan asked skeptically as they left the bar.

" _That_ kind of – GET DOWN! Assassins!"

She cut herself off as a bullet slammed into the wall behind them. Shepard pulled them down and shoved them against the half wall, brow furrowed. He pulled his sniper and started trying to line up a shot. The lieutenant heard his XO exhale and hold his breath, focus honing in on the targets. He remembered noticing it back on Eden Prime; he did something similar himself, but not nearly as deliberate.

"Those are Saren's men," Kaidan said tightly, pistol out and firing at the two turians garbed in black. Ash had her assault rifle spraying the hallway with bullets, trying to keep them back. The sharp crack of Shepard's rifle sent one sprawling backwards. The lieutenant saw the other merc's knee jutting out from cover and immediately unloaded a few bullets into it. Shepard's shot echoed in the hallway; the assassin gave him the perfect head shot while he checked the knee Kaidan had obliterated. It was the last mistake the turian ever made.

The silence was almost as deafening as the gunfire moments before. Kaidan blew out a slow breath, trying to control his racing heartbeat. He hadn't been expecting it, but it didn't exactly surprise him, either. It seemed like the type of underhanded thing Saren would do. After all, he shot his own friend and colleague point blank. Who knew what lengths he'd be willing to go? Shepard was doing something on his omni-tool; probably logging the encounter with C-Sec.

"Speaking of Spectres, why didn't Captain Anderson tell us he used to _be_ one?" Ash complained, popping her assault rifle back on her mag-lock harness. Shepard was still absorbed in his omni-tool while they started walking to the lower markets.

"Maybe it's not true. Don't you think being the first human Spectre would be all over the news? Harkin's an ass. I bet he's just messing with our heads," Kaidan said matter-of-factly. Ash scuffed her boots against the walkway.

"You're probably right. Still, I'd like to hear what the captain has to say about all this."

"Alright, lock it down...enough talk about Spectres and who is or isn't one. It's not important right now," Shepard said. Kaidan noticed a slightly uncomfortable look on his face and remembered their conversation before they dropped on Eden Prime. Shepard hadn't seemed very enthusiastic when he told Kaidan he'd been nominated, come to think of it.

He was distracted from his thoughts as they made their way up the stairs again to the markets on the upper level and saw a blond man leaning against the wall, nervously playing with his hands. His face lit up when then reached the top step.

"Is that really...wooooow! It's _you_!"

The three of them stopped in front of the blond man, slightly uncertain of what was about to happen. Shepard took a step forward.

"I'm sorry...?" Kaidan asked from behind him, perplexed. The man completely ignored him as he focused on the commander. He eyed the N7 logo respectfully.

"You're Commander Shepard, the hero of Eden Prime! I'm so honored to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you. And you are...?" His XO shook the man's hand, unfailingly polite but guarded. Kaidan saw Shepard shake off whatever mental cobwebs had been plaguing him and focus on the person in front of him. It was interesting to note the small changes in the commander's demeanor. The man beamed at the attention.

"My name is Conrad. Conrad Verner. They say you killed more than a hundred geth on Eden Prime!"

"I just tried to help...I spent most of the time trying to stay alive and help the colonists..." Shepard rolled his shoulders slightly, trying not to let his discomfort show. Kaidan wondered what the point of all this was as he shifted restlessly. He heard Ash snort next to him.

"Hey, I know you're probably busy, but do you have time for a quick autograph?"

The man had taken a few steps closer, childlike wonder on his face. Shepard furrowed his brow but stood his ground. Kaidan raised an eyebrow at the whole exchange, sharing a look with Ash. She was chewing on her lower lip, trying not to laugh.

"No problem. Anything for a fan, I guess. Here."

His commander quickly scribbled something on the card that Conrad thrust at him with shaking hands.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it. My _wife_ is going to be so impressed! I'll let you get back to work, but next time you're on Earth, I'd love to buy you a drink! Thanks again!"

"Never been a real fan of crowds," Kaidan said, watching the blond man scamper off, holding the autograph reverently. Ash dissolved into giggles, unable to hold back any longer. Shepard scoffed, shaking his head at Conrad's retreating form.

"Me either, LT."

* * *

Shepard leaned his elbows on the half wall, watching the traffic from the air shuttles through the wall of windows facing the ward arms. Williams was on his left, then the lieutenant. It was a stunning view with the lights from all the buildings sparkling against the infinite darkness of the galaxy behind it. The ward arms themselves seemed to stretch on for miles. He could almost pretend he was in a megatropolis back on Earth.

"Big place..." he heard the lieutenant say softly.

"That your _professional_ opinion, sir?"

Ashley raised a critical eyebrow at the lieutenant. Kaidan either didn't notice or he was ignoring her comment. Shepard felt a spike of annoyance at her.

"He's right, Chief. This isn't a station; it's a city."

"There must be _millions_ here. It can't be possible to track everyone coming and going." Kaidan shifted on the wall, getting a pensive look on his face. The commander wondered if he was processing his observations with their current mission. It was going to be very easy for Saren to hide what he was doing in relation to the galaxy at large. They were going to have to throw everything they had at the situation to track him down. He was dragged out of his thoughts by Ash again.

"This makes Jump Zero look like a porta-john. And it's the largest deep space station the Alliance has."

"Jump Zero was big. But this is a whole 'nother scale. Look at the ward arms! How do they keep all that mass from flying apart?"

Kaidan shifted on the wall again. Shepard noted his dark eyes taking in all of the scenery, almost like he was mapping it out...so much like _him_ in certain regards. The lieutenant turned and caught him looking at him. He turned back to the view and focused on the tips of the ward arms, thoroughly mystified with himself why he didn't see it sooner. They didn't look a thing alike; maybe that was it. He sighed.

"We have our work cut out for us if we want to measure up. The council represents more races than I thought. No wonder they're careful with newcomers."

"They probably just want to keep everything running. It has to be hard keeping all these cultures working together."

"Or maybe they just don't like humans," Ash said darkly. Shepard glanced at her.

"What's not to like, Chief? We've got oceans, beautiful women...this emotion called 'love'...according to the old vids, we have everything they want."

She blushed at the 'beautiful women' comment, flustered words tumbling out of her mouth.

"If you expect to get _me_ in a tinfoil miniskirt and thigh-high boots, I want dinner first. Sir!"

"That'll be enough, Chief..."

Shepard moved off the wall at that point, putting Kaidan between himself and the gunnery chief. He thought he heard a slight edge to the lieutenant's joking tone. Kaidan did have a tendency to be polite to a fault; almost too prim and proper for the amount of time he had been a marine. He also seemed to have a penchant for sticking to rank and the roles associated with them. Almost like he was afraid to get close to anybody. 'Probably for the best," Shepard thought dully; he had meant what he told Williams earlier about mixing business and pleasure. There were reasons for the 'no fraternization' regs in the Alliance.

A wash of sadness went through him at the idea. Kaidan seemed like he'd be a good friend to have, but now he couldn't tell if it was because he genuinely liked the man or if it was displaced affection from – 'Stop thinking about him,' he reprimanded himself, 'They are not the same.'

"All right, enough chatter. Move out, people."

"Yes, sir..." Ash seemed a little dejected as she responded.

"Ready to move out, Commander."

Shepard checked his map on his omni-tool and they moved towards the clinic without speaking. He really needed to shake his melancholy. It would be easier for him if he could stop likening the lieutenant to Asher. There were just a few personality traits they shared, nothing more. The familiarity with tech. The quiet observations. The keen intelligence hiding behind the sharp gaze. The desire to save as many civilians as they could...

 _Asher_.

He hadn't thought of him in a few years. Seemed a shame to start now. He had told Ted a little bit of it when they were training at ICT together and that had helped him tuck the memories away, but now that he had pinpointed why he was so comfortable around Kaidan, he had unwittingly dredged it up again. He sighed as he glanced out the window. The Serpent Nebula twinkled in the distance to the right, providing him with a small distraction. He welcomed it as they walked.

"Uh, Shepard? I think we just passed the clinic..." Ashley said, tapping him on his pauldron. He turned to look at her, then glanced at the sign she was pointing to over her shoulder.

"You would be right, Chief...lost in my thoughts a bit."

Kaidan shot him a worried glance but said nothing as they paused in front of the sliding doors. Shepard ignored the small stab of nerves in his guts at the look. 'Completely different people,' he reminded himself as the doors slid open.

He blinked at the unfolding scenario in front of him. Vakarian had his pistol out and was hunkered down, sneaking to a better position of cover. A woman who could only be the doctor was cringing in front of an angry man, surrounded by a bunch of other men. They were flexing their hands threateningly.

"Oh _shit_..." he muttered, snatching at his own pistol.

* * *

A/N: Ok, so I realized I broke canon again...the assassins happen before Chora's Den, not after, but I always think Saren needs a liiiittle more time to deploy them than that. Especially since I always go to Chora's Den first. I am such a creature of habit...


	8. and Shoot the Place Up

_**Storm Rising**_ , by potionsmaster

Rating: T for language

A/N: *sing-song voice* Cit-a-del, Cit-a-del, we love you, we love youuuu...

* * *

 **Chapter 8** : … _and Shoot the Place Up_

Kaidan was a bit dumbfounded that he was drawing his pistol for the second time in as many hours. The red haired doctor was cowering in front of a group of thugs, protesting in a heavily French-accented voice. Shepard, ever the fearless leader, had given him a start by charging right in to save the day and wound up in a stand-off. The thug had pulled the frightened woman into a headlock, aiming his own side arm at Shepard.

"Let her go!" Shepard growled, aiming his pistol at the thug. Garrus took the opportunity to pop out of cover and shot the thug in the head, blood spattering the doctor's white coat. She threw her hands over her face, crying out in fear. Vakarian grabbed her and moved them behind cover while Kaidan, Shepard, and Ash made quick work subduing the rest of the mercs. When the shoot-out was over, the turian advanced slowly, training his gun on the fallen ringleader.

"Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard."

"It was a big risk...what were you thinking? You could have hit the hostage!"

Vakarian got flustered, shaking his head a bit.

"There wasn't time to think! I just reacted. I didn't mean to – Dr Michel? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks to you. _All_ of you."

She nervously tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, looking meekly between the four of them. Kaidan busied himself with putting up his pistol again, ears ringing. He wondered if he was going to need it again before the day was out. Ashley was shuffling around behind Shepard, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible while he spoke to the doctor. Dr Michel had just mentioned a possible lead.

"Quarian? What quarian?" the commander asked. Kaidan could tell he was trying not to appear over-eager for the information.

"A few days ago, a quarian came by my office. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide." The doctor paced back and forth nervously, glancing at the turian. Vakarian nodded at her encouragingly. Shepard furrowed his brow.

"Where'd she go? Where is she now?"

"I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"Not anymore...now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it," the turian broke in. Ash shook her head, glancing at the door impatiently.

"I still think we should've gone after the krogan," she muttered, "And what the hell kind of name is 'Fist', anyway?" Kaidan shot her a 'look' while Shepard outright ignored her. She rolled her eyes at him but fell quiet again.

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?" the doctor asked incredulously, "That's _stupid_ , even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer."

"That quarian must have something Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get." Vakarian shook his head, lost in thought. Kaidan looked at Shepard; he was chewing on his bottom lip.

"Probably evidence," the commander said, turning back to the doctor. "She must have something that proves he's a traitor. Did the quarian mention anything about Saren? Or the geth?"

"She did! The information she was going to trade. She said it had something to do with the geth!" Dr Michel exclaimed, piecing it together out loud. Ash snorted and stepped closer to Shepard. He shifted away from her and closer to the turian, getting drawn deeper into the discussion.

"She must be able to link Saren to the geth. There's no way the Council can ignore this!" Kaidan heard the determination in Vakarian's voice and wondered if this was how turians normally acted; Nihlus hadn't ever displayed emotion to that degree on the Normandy. He supposed he wouldn't really notice, though. The dead Spectre had played things close to the chest. He stifled a laugh when he heard Ash grumble under her breath.

"How many times can we say 'geth' in five minutes?"

" _Enough_ , Williams," Shepard groused at her, "I don't need your editorial on everything. What we _do_ need is to find her...sounds like it's time we paid Fist a visit."

"This is your show, Shepard," Vakarian said. "But I want to bring down Saren as much as you do. I'm coming with you!"

"You're a turian. Why do you want to bring him down?" Shepard asked, curious. Kaidan was rather interested in the answer himself.

"I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation, but I knew what was really going on. Saren is a traitor to the Council, and a disgrace to my people!"

He ended his tirade with an angry flip of his claws. Shepard furrowed his brow again, deliberating. He stuck out his hand after a moment. The turian cocked his head at it and cautiously grasped it with his claws.

"You made your case...welcome aboard, Garrus."

"You know, we aren't the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow Broker hired a krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him out."

"Yeah...we heard about him," Ash said, rolling her eyes. "But was _my_ advice taken to find him first? No."

"Chief..." Shepard warned, shooting her an stern look, "Knock it off." He paused, turning back to Vakarian. "A krogan might come in handy. We'll have to find him later."

"Last I heard, he was at the C-Sec Academy."

"What's he doing there?" Kaidan asked, "I know Barla Von mentioned him and it wasn't completely voluntary on his part, but the volus couldn't give us anything more than that."

"Fist accused him of making threats. We brought Wrex in for a little talk. If you hurry, you can catch him at the academy before he leaves."

Shepard worried at his bottom lip, thinking. He opened his omni-tool and gestured for the turian to do the same. He linked Vakarian's hardsuit and pulled up the stats. The turian tapped on his haptic interface, then closed his.

"Data packet received; I should have clearance to board the Normandy now?"

"Yes. Once you're on board, we'll need to get your gear tagged with an RFID chip so you can use any of the Alliance's equipment. You could try to use any of our stuff right now, but it won't work unless it recognizes that signature."

"Interesting...you humans have intriguing solutions to problems most don't think of."

"We found it helps cut down on unauthorized use, such as mercs intercepting a shipment and trying to use our own weapons against us," Kaidan explained. Ash rolled her eyes as the turian nodded. Her omni-tool bipped at her and she frowned at it, activating the glowing orange tool to see the message. She looked up, confused.

"Alenko, Vakarian, with me," Shepard said crisply, closing his omni-tool down. Garrus cocked his head at the last names, getting a shrewd look on his face. "Williams, swing by Alliance HQ and get your eval. If you run into the krogan, talk to him and see what you can find out, then head back to the Normandy. Put in an order at requisitions for this helmet, please. I sent you the specs."

"But what about –"

"I need someone who can navigate the wards quickly if we're going to be chasing leads. Besides, I don't know how long the eval is going to take."

"Yes, sir..." she said dejectedly, walking out of the clinic. Shepard didn't pay her any more attention, instead asking the doctor for more information. Kaidan eyed the turian, admiring the blue colony markings on his face. It was very different than Nihlus' had been, or any of the other ones he'd seen around the Citadel. He blocked the memories of BAaT trying to resurface. His heart stopped when those sharp, alien eyes caught him staring.

"Never seen a turian up close before?" Vakarian asked, a teasing tone in his voice. Kaidan smiled at him and glanced away quickly, ducking his head.

"Just admiring the pattern and the color. I haven't seen that one in particular before. It's nice."

Garrus shifted, drawing himself up so he looked taller. Kaidan thought he looked a bit like a bird preening. Especially when his mandibles flared slightly.

"Palaven blue," he said pridefully, "One of the more basic patterns, but I'm of the opinion that the more complicated a pattern, the more the colony feels like it has something to prove."

Kaidan chuckled at that.

"Overcompensation must not be just a human trait, then," he replied. Shepard came over to them at that point, lifting an eyebrow.

"...Interesting part of the conversation to join in. But we have to go. Move out."

* * *

For the life of him, Shepard didn't know how he managed to find his way into these situations. First a ridiculous fan. Now a reporter who was hellbent on getting him on board with an investigation into corruption. He hadn't given her an answer one way or another before they continued on their way, saying if he found anything he would let her know. Finding the quarian and what she had found was much more important. The lieutenant seemed to be amused by the whole thing. At least he had lost the pinched look around his eyes. Vakarian, on the other hand, was brimming with energy and seemed to want to brush the reporter off, but he wisely had kept his mouth shut and let Shepard handle it.

The commander meant what he said, though: if he found anything he thought Miss Wong might be looking for, he would give it to her. Having a reporter owe him a favor wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He just couldn't guarantee that he would make it a priority. Thankfully they didn't run into Conrad again as they went down the stairs to the lower wards. Shepard didn't think he had the mental stamina to deal with him again in such short order.

They heard Chora's Den before they saw it again, bass echoing in the empty halls of the wards. Shepard slowed down as they walked towards it, suspicious. There didn't seem to be much noise from the crowd. That was a bit odd, considering they had just come from there earlier today.

"Looks like it's shut down." the lieutenant remarked. Vakarian shook his head, grumbling.

"Fist knows we're coming," he muttered, "So much for the element of surprise."

"Think we should draw weapons, Commander?" Kaidan asked. Shepard pursed his lips as they approached the sliding door.

"No, but be at the ready to – DRAW NOW! Barriers, LT!"

As soon as the doors opened, a hail of bullets flew their way. Shepard snatched his assault rifle and plastered himself behind a booth seat, laying down cover fire as the other two pulled their guns and went to cover. His ears popped as he felt Kaidan put up a barrier.

"Orders, Shepard?" the turian asked, "How do we deal with them?" He slung his sniper rifle off his mag-lock harness, lining up a shot. Kaidan threw a merc into another one, peppering their limbs with slugs from his pistol.

"No quarter, boys...they won't show us that mercy, so return it in kind." He punctuated it by hitting a merc in the chest, dropping him.

"Aye, aye, Commander!"

"Aye, sir!"

A merc tumbled from the top of the bar, Vakarian's sniper lethally accurate. Shepard was impressed. Kaidan stopped aiming to wound and started nailing center mass and head shots. The three of them fell into an easy rhythm of cover, fire, advance, repeat, cutting down mercenaries as they pushed towards the back rooms. Shepard was particularly struck when Kaidan knelt beside him and asked him to use a technology attack while he did a biotic throw against the krogan bouncer. Garrus gave the coup de grâce while the krogan was flailing to get up. A few more thugs hit the ground and then there was silence ringing in his ears.

"I think we're good, Commander..."

He glanced at the lieutenant, noting the steely look on the other man's face as he scanned the surrounding area. Satisfied, he holstered his pistol. They made their way to the entrance in the back, picking their way through knocked over chairs and tables. Shepard hit the toggle on the door and it slid open with a hiss. He saw shadowy figures lurking behind some boxes. The men saw them and immediately went for their pistols, leveling them at Shepard's chest.

"Stop right there! Don't come any closer!"

He quirked an eyebrow at them, noticing one man had an archaic 'teacup' grip and the safety still on. The other one had an improper stance and was holding his gun one-handed, arm wavering with the weight of it.

"Warehouse workers...all the real guards must be dead," Vakarian said, stowing his pistol.

"Stay back, or we'll shoot!" one said nervously. He heard Kaidan shuffle behind him and tossed a glance at him. The lieutenant was calm, face neutral, but he could feel the hair on the back of his neck start to prickle. Kaidan must have been trying to ready a biotic attack without alerting anybody to it. Damn useful.

"Save yourselves; you're in over your heads. This would be a good time to find somewhere else to work." Shepard tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice. The worker with the teacup grip let his posture drop, looking nervously between the three of them.

"Yeah, yeah right. That's a good idea."

"I never liked Fist anyway," the other one muttered, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. They slunk off. Garrus watched them leave through the door and disappear into the messy bar. Shepard moved to the line of lockers on the back wall, prodding them.

"I never would have thought of that," the turian said, convinced the workers weren't going to come back and fire at them. The commander was only half-listening to his squad as he fiddled with the lock, decryption program running.

"Shooting people isn't always the answer," Kaidan replied, "Speaking of which, I wonder where all the dancers went..."

"Dunno," Shepard shrugged, opening the locker, "But we need a strategy for dealing with Fist. I need him alive for information. Wound if you absolutely must, but be careful. I'm not opposed to trying to intimidate answers out of him, however...as long as he's conscious." He found a Striker pistol, a Hurricane shotgun, and a Banshee assault rifle, all level II. Garrus coughed behind a clawed hand.

"Bet if you ran the ID on these, they would turn up unregistered or stolen. Wouldn't you think?" Shepard asked, pulling them out. The turian ran his claws over the AR, testing the balance.

"Probably. We should confiscate them...turn them in after we're through here. The paperwork is going to be an absolute nightmare..."

"C-Sec's problem, not mine," the commander said, "Though if you're the detective who gets attached to this one, I do apologize."

Kaidan scoffed, shaking his head. Shepard held out the Striker to him, gesturing for him to take it.

"See if you like how it feels and how the stats compare to your current one. If you like it, we can get an Alliance issued one. Nice job with prepping your biotics on the down low, by the way. I like the way you think."

The lieutenant pursed his lips but took it.

"It does fit my grip nicely..." he acquiesced, "And how did you know? I wasn't glowing blue that I know of. It kinda was the point that nobody could tell..." Shepard gave him a half-grin and pulled his sniper off his mag-lock.

"I felt it," he said. Kaidan raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "And I can always find upgrades and better equipment, LT...just gotta know where to look. Take point in the next room. Don't forget your barriers."

Kaidan huffed a laugh and took his own pistol out, tucking the Striker into his inventory while Vakarian reluctantly put the Banshee in his pack.

"Aye, Shepard."

* * *

"Why do I have to do everything myself? Time to die, little soldiers!" Fist yelled, activating two guardian turrets. Kaidan was getting a little tired of people shooting at them first and not bothering to ask them any questions. Shepard was crouched next to him on the wall, shoulders touching; the turian molded to the other wall jutting out on their three. Just once the lieutenant would like to be able to say that they were able to hunt down a lead without resorting to a firefight.

Shepard ordered Garrus to overload the turret on the right while he overloaded the one on the left. Kaidan concentrated on keeping Fist off his squad-mates' backs.

"Barriers, LT!" the commander yelled over the gunfire, "Keep them up!"

"Aye, aye, sir," he replied tersely, sabotaging Fist's heat sink and hearing the resulting string of curses. Garrus had his assault rifle out and was unleashing a hail of bullets into the turret before it could come back online. It exploded in a shower of sparks. He could have sworn he heard Vakarian say, "Scratch one!" Shepard had traded positions with Kaidan and snaked the barrel of his sniper rifle over the top of the half-wall, shoulder jerking as it absorbed the recoil. The other turret fizzed out of working order. Fist dropped his gun, cowering next to the ruined machinery.

"Wait! Don't kill me! I surrender!"

"Smart move..." Shepard growled as he broke cover. He replaced his sniper with his pistol, pointing it at the whimpering man. "Where's the quarian?"

"She's not here. I don't know where she is. That's the truth!"

"He's lying," Kaidan said. The commander glanced over his shoulder at the lieutenant, eyes twinkling.

"Nobody lies to me, Fist! You've got three seconds to come clean. Then I start shooting."

"I already told you, the quarian ain't here! Said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself."

Shepard holstered his pistol, making a show of furrowing his brow and mulling it over. Fist tentatively pulled himself off the floor, looking between the three of them nervously.

"Impossible. The Shadow Broker only works through his agents," the turian said, holding his assault rifle loosely in front on himself. Fist nodded in agreement.

"Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. _Ever_. Even I don't know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."

Kaidan snapped to attention at that, looking at his commander. Nothing was ever simple.

"We have to save her...give me the location," Shepard grabbed Fist by his collar, dragging him face-to-face. " _Now_..." he said menacingly through gritted teeth. The other man winced, turning his head to the side.

"Here on the wards, the back alley by the markets. She's supposed to meet them right now. You can make it if you hurry."

Shepard dropped Fist, shoving him back in disgust.

"Am I supposed to just forget your part in all this?" He took a step forward, hands clenched, and Fist threw up his hands defensively. Kaidan glanced at the turian. Garrus seemed almost amused by the situation.

"Hey, I came clean! I told you about the meeting. Besides, I've got my own problems now. The Shadow Broker wants me dead! I have to disappear. Forget about me. I'm a ghost."

"Fine. Disappear. You're not my concern." Shepard stepped aside, letting the cringing man pass.

"Don't worry. You'll never see me again." He limped off, Kaidan watching to make sure he didn't pull another gun.

"Vakarian, do you know where he was talking about?"

"Yes, Shepard. I think I have a pretty good idea of where he means."

The commander rolled his shoulders, heading for the exit.

"Let's move, then. Be a real bitch if we were late on the scene."

Kaidan silently agreed as they jogged behind the turian.

"Don't look now, but we have company again..." Vakarian said, pulling out his assault rifle. More thugs had poured out of the woodwork in the bar. Kaidan supposed the warehouse workers had let something slip to the wrong person. Shepard groaned, also pulling out his AR.

"We don't have time for this shit," he griped, "No prisoners. We need to find that quarian and hope to high hell that we do before the assassins."

"Aye, sir..."

* * *

Shepard was thankful that Kaidan seemed to take everything in stride, nary a complaint. New squad-mates, unusual circumstances, and long hours on his feet didn't seem to perturb him in the slightest. And as an added bonus, he had zero qualms about working with an alien. That was something he had over Asher...Asher never entirely trusted the other races to have his back as much as he did another human soldier, but Shepard figured that had something to do with his colony getting attacked by batarians when he was sixteen. Some things were too difficult to forget.

The second fight in the bar had been quick and bloody, the three of them working like a well oiled machine at this point. 'Practice will do that,' he thought ruefully, and what better way to practice than to get thrown into the deep end. He and Kaidan kept their weapons at the ready as they followed the turian through the darkly lit back alleys in the lower wards. They went up a small flight of stairs and he ran into Vakarian's carapace, startled by the sudden stop. Garrus crouched and motioned for them to do the same. Shepard eased forward, peering into the gloom. A hooded figure was talking to a turian dressed in familiar black garb. He strained his ears, trying to listen.

"Did you bring it?" turian assassin asked, playing with the quarian's hood.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?"

"That's gotta be Saren's men...the turian is dressed like those other assassins from earlier, minus the helmet," Kaidan whispered, crouched next to Shepard with his pistol out. Shepard swapped his assault rifle for his sniper quietly, squinting through the scope. Vakarian did the same.

"He'll be here...where's the evidence?" the turian in black slid a claw down her sleeve suggestively and she slapped it away, obviously annoyed. She took a step back uncertainly.

"No way. The deal's off."

The turian raised his chin and backed off slowly, masked salarians advancing in the background. The quarian tossed a grenade at them and quickly ducked out of the way. Shepard didn't waste another second; he let his breath escape from his body and held it, white static filling his head as he honed in on a salarian. The quarian was hidden behind a crate, omni-tool glowing as she threw out tech attack after tech attack. She looked around, startled, when the salarian crumpled to the ground at the sharp crack of his rifle shot. Kaidan managed to use the other salarian to knock down the turian in black, making it easy to finish them off.

They made their way down the stairs to the quarian. She was twisting her three-fingered hands together fretfully, pacing.

"Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" she was saying to herself as they reached her. She stood to face them, chin raised defiantly. Kaidan crossed his arms, the pinched look back around his eyes. Shepard could only imagine that multiple firefights in small, enclosed spaces didn't do him any favors. He stepped forward.

"Are you okay? Were you hurt in the fight?"

He couldn't tell from her blank, purple face mask if she was startled or not. It was a little odd to see the bare hint of the outline of a face but not be able to tell expressions. The purple-tinted shield was mostly opaque. He briefly wondered how she was able to see as he was uneasily reminded of the geth; the body shapes were very similar.

"I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help...who are you?"

"I'm with the Alliance. My name's Shepard...I'm looking for evidence to prove Saren's a traitor."

Tension leaked out of her shoulders at that. She sighed in relief. Garrus tucked his AR back on his mag-lock harness.

"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life. But not here. We need to go somewhere safe."

Kaidan took a step forward, uncrossing his arms.

"The ambassador's office!" he broke in, "It's safe there. He'll want to see this, anyway..."

Shepard nodded in agreement. What a strange assembly he was gathering. He hoped it wasn't going to be too big of an issue with Anderson; adding Vakarian would be seen as furthering turian-human relations and a step forward, but a quarian? He didn't know how that would go down.

"Follow us, please...it shouldn't take too long."

* * *

"You're not making my life _easy_ , Shepard...firefights in the wards?! An all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many–" the ambassador broke off abruptly as he turned around, realizing there was an additional person in the group. "Who's this? A quarian? What're you up to, Shepard?"

The commander held back a sigh. Udina was already in a foul mood and seem eager to take it out on him. Anderson was stoically silent in the background, raising an eyebrow at the nonhuman party members. Shepard raised one back, moving into parade rest; he was sure the captain had been on the receiving end of the ambassador's anger. He decided to ignore it as best he could, focusing on the details.

"Making your day, Ambassador. She can help us. She has information linking Saren to the geth."

The shrewd man's eyes lit up at that.

"Really? Maybe you better start at the beginning, Miss...?"

"My name is Tali. Tali' Zorah nar Rayya."

She stepped forward, playing with her gloved hands again. Udina scowled at her.

"We don't see many quarians here. Why did you leave the flotilla?"

"I was on my Pilgrimage. My right of passage into adulthood."

Udina looked like he wanted to interrupt, but Shepard beat him to it. He wanted to hear everything she had to say.

"Please, continue...tell us what you found."

She turned to focus on him, voice becoming steadier.

"During my travels, I began hearing reports of geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the geth have never ventured beyond the Veil. I was curious. I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit. Then I disabled it and removed its memory core."

"I thought the geth fried their memory cores when they died. Some kind of defense mechanism," Captain Anderson broke in. Kaidan nodded in agreement, glancing between Shepard and Tali.

"Is that true? How did you manage to salvage one?" Shepard asked. Vakarian stayed quiet, observing.

"My people created the geth." That definitely explained why they had similar body shapes, Shepard acknowledged. "If you're quick, careful, and lucky, small caches of data can sometimes be saved. Most of the core was wiped clean. But I salvaged something from its audio banks...listen."

She brought up her omni-tool and played back an audio clip of Saren. Vakarian stopped fussing with his omni-tool and perked up, predatory look on his face.

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."

"That's Saren's voice! This proves he was involved in the attack!" Anderson exclaimed. Shepard furrowed his brow, glancing back at Kaidan. The lieutenant's dark eyes were focused on the quarian, mouth twisting slightly. Shepard was starting to recognize that look as one Kaidan did when he was concentrating on absorbing details. He turned back to the captain.

"What's the Conduit? He said Eden Prime brought him one step closer to finding it. Any idea what that means?"

"The Conduit must be related to the beacon. Maybe it's some kind of Prothean technology...like a weapon," Anderson surmised. Shepard chewed on his bottom lip. Just what he needed: more Prothean technology. He wondered what the likelihood would be for it to download more horrible images into his skull if they ever came across it. The quarian broke in, interrupting his thoughts.

"Wait...there's more. Saren wasn't working alone," she said cautiously, toying with her omni-tool again. The sly turian Spectre's voice rang out about Eden Prime and the Crucible again, closely followed by a hard female voice.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," she said. Udina fussed with his tunic.

"I don't recognize that other voice. The one talking about 'Reapers'."

Shepard chewed his bottom lip again and Kaidan took a step closer to him, brow furrowing. The commander exhaled slowly, trying to place something that niggled his brain.

"Reapers..." he started slowly. "Seems like I've come across that before, but I don't know where. What do you think, Alenko?"

Kaidan looked at him, lips rolled inwards in thought.

"I'm not really sure what I think at the moment...Obviously the geth weren't created by them, if that's what you initially thought, but did the geth create the husks? Those spikes, those... _Dragon's teeth_ , whatever you want to call them...they don't look like the technology they use is evolved from whatever the geth have. I think it's more likely that the Reapers somehow gave the spikes to them for them to use. I'm personally more curious as to how Saren came to work with them. And why."

"Well, according to the memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago. They hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished! Or at least...that's what the geth believe..." Tali said, closing down her omni-tool.

Udina scoffed and shook his head.

"That sounds a little far-fetched..."

"She's right, though," Shepard said, wiping a bit of cold sweat from his brow. It came up suddenly when he thought about the beacon. Kaidan looked at him, concern in his eyes. "The vision on Eden Prime – I understand it now. I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers."

"The geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life."

"The Council is just going to love this!" Udina snapped, crossing his arms. Shepard held back a sigh,

"They need to know," he said quietly, "The Reapers are a threat to every species in Citadel space. We have to tell them."

"No matter what they think about the rest of this, those audio files prove Saren's a traitor," Anderson broke in

"The captain's right. We need to present this to the Council right away." the ambassador agreed readily. Kaidan interrupted.

"What about her? The quarian."

"My name is Tali!" she retorted, "You saw me in the alley, Commander. You know what I can do. Let me come with you."

"I thought you were on your Pilgrimage," Shepard said. Anderson cleared his throat quietly.

"The Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this? Saren is a danger to the entire galaxy. My Pilgrimage can wait."

"I"ll take all the help I can get."

"Thanks," she said gratefully, moving towards him, "You won't regret this."

Shepard glanced towards the captain quickly. He still hadn't gotten to adding Vakarian on the Normandy's manifest, and he just agreed to take the quarian without authorization.

"This is your investigation now, Shepard...I'll clear whoever you think you need to bring on board, but I'll need the final roster before we disembark again," Anderson said after clearing his throat again, "We still have dextro rations from Nihlus being on board." He turned towards Tali. "Do you need any special requirements for housing, such as a clean room or sterile sleeping pod?"

She shook her head.

"No...but thank you for asking. My environment suit allows me some flexibility, provided it doesn't tear or rupture."

"Back on task, Anderson and I will go ahead to get things started with the Council. Take a few minutes to collect yourself, then meet us in the Tower..." Udina ground out, glancing at the captain before pushing past them. Shepard sighed lightly.

"Garrus, get yourself situated on the Normandy...this hopefully won't take too long. Tali, with me and Alenko. We're going to the Tower."

* * *

A/N: Loooooot of info dumping, but hopefully it was entertaining info dumping. Almost done with the Citadel, I promise.


End file.
